In the first T20I against new zealand Young sensation at Nagpur’s VCA Stadium Abhishek Sharma Continuing his phenomenal performance, reaching a milestone that directly reflects the legacy of his mentor and cricket icon, Yuvraj Singh.
Abhishek Sharma beats mentor Yuvraj Singh by playing explosive innings in IND vs NZ T20I in Nagpur
Abhishek has officially overtaken Yuvraj in the record of hitting most sixes by an Indian in T20 International. Before the match, Abhishek was on par with Yuvraj with 74 sixes. He wasted no time and hit his first six in the series opener jacob duffy Starting a storm in the first over and then against it kyle jamison. By the time he reached his half-century in 22 balls, the fastest by an Indian against New Zealand, he had crossed the boundary five times, comfortably surpassing Yuvraj’s career total.
This accomplishment is especially poetic considering their relationship. Yuvraj, who hit six sixes in an over, has spent years honing Abhishek’s skills in the nets. Surpassing his mentor in just 34 innings (compared to Yuvraj’s 58), highlights the terrific scoring rate Abhishek has brought to the top of the order. While Yuvraj’s name is synonymous with the foundation of T20 cricket in India, Abhishek is fast becoming the face of its future.
Most T20I sixes for India (updated):
- Rohit Sharma: 205
- Suryakumar Yadav: 156
- Virat Kohli: 124
- Hardik Pandya: 106
- KL Rahul: 99
- Abhishek Sharma: 81 (ahead of Yuvraj Singh’s 74 runs)
Also read: Revealed: ‘Bangladesh’ reason behind James Neesham’s absence in IND vs NZ 1st T20I in Nagpur
Abhishek Sharma’s dominance against New Zealand in Nagpur
In the series opener against New Zealand at the VCA Stadium (January 21, 2026), Abhishek proved why he is currently the top-ranked T20I batsman in the world. Despite India losing Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan At the start of the powerplay, Abhishek refused to withdraw his aggression. He completed his half-century in just 22 balls and scored his seventh T20I half-century in less than 25 balls. The highlight of his innings was his brutal 20-run over against glen phillipsWhere he destroyed the spin attack easily. partnership with Suryakumar YadavAbhishek, playing his 100th T20 match, took India past 100 runs in less than 9 overs. Ultimately he was out after scoring 84 runs on just 35 balls and received a standing ovation on the field after hitting 7 sixes and 5 fours. His strike rate of over 240 provided the right platform for India to set a big target in this important T20 World Cup “dress rehearsal” series.
