‘You can’t just go and score’: Abhishek Sharma responds to Yuvraj Singh’s 12-ball shout.
Abhishek Sharma (PTI Photo) Abhishek Sharma had a cheeky reply for his mentor Yuvraj Singh after the former India all-rounder playfully pointed out that the young opener was yet to score a half-century from 12 balls. The exchange came after Abhishek smashed a stunning century against New Zealand in the third T20I in Wellington on Tuesday.Abhishek admitted that scoring 50 off just 12 deliveries was a difficult task. He also explained what kind of cricket Yuvraj played in 2007.Yuvraj congratulated Abhishek on his match-winning innings but did not miss the opportunity to remind him of his own famous 12-ball fifty. Abhishek laughed at the remark and explained why it is not easy to achieve such a feat.“I mean, I’ve said it before. I don’t know what kind of cricket he was playing at that time, but it’s not easy at all. And I would say if a batsman wants to go out there and bat like that, it’s not easy at all. You can’t just go and score 50 off 12 balls. It just happens once in a while,” Abhishek said.Yuvraj created history during the 2007 T20 World Cup in Durban with one of the most memorable innings in the format. He reached his half-century in just 12 balls against England, including six sixes off the bowling of Stuart Broad.Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee later broke this record, scoring a fifty off just nine balls against Mongolia in 2023.Abhishek has also been in great form for India. His 35-ball century against New Zealand helped India chase down a target of 199 with six wickets in hand and 40 balls to spare.
Abhishek puts team goals ahead of personal milestones
The Indian opener said neither he nor teenage partner Vaibhav Sooryavanshi were focused on achieving individual milestones. Their priority was to give the team a quick start and put New Zealand under pressure during the power play.“As a batter, we don’t go after this milestone. We always want to win the match for the team, especially Vaibhav. He is here. So that was the plan and that’s what we want to take in the whole series as well and it went well,” he added.The opening pair put India in a commanding position with 133 runs in just 7.1 overs. Sooryavanshi scored 45 off 19 balls while Abhishek made 113 off 35 deliveries, hitting 11 sixes and nine fours.India completed the chase with a six-wicket win in the third T20I to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. They also won the first two matches by four wickets.
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India aims to complete clean sweep
With the series already secured, India will look to maintain the winning streak in the last two matches.The fourth T20I will be played at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday, followed by the fifth and final match at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday.