Sports

Abhishek Sharma Needs 53 Runs to Reach 2,000 T20I Runs, Could Break Suryakumar Yadav’s Record

By Nitesh Dubey

Abhishek Sharma is poised to make Friday’s second T20I against the West Indies a historic night in his international career. The India opener needs just 53 runs to reach 2,000 T20I runs, a milestone that could also see him break the record held by former captain Suryakumar Yadav. Yadav reached 2,000 runs in 1,164 deliveries, beating Aaron Finch’s 1,283-ball record. Sharma currently has 1,947 runs from 997 balls, giving him a theoretical maximum of 167 balls to score the 53 runs and match Yadav’s 1,164-ball mark. To break the record, he must reach 2,000 in 1,163 balls or fewer, meaning he must score the 53 runs within his next 166 balls. Sharma’s T20I strike rate is 195.29, with 1,947 runs from 997 deliveries, 135 sixes, and three centuries. Earlier this year he scored a T20I century in only 30 balls against Afghanistan, the fastest by an Indian in the format. In the series opener in Lucknow, Sharma scored 21 off 10 balls before being dismissed by Roston Chase, and India won by eight wickets with Shreyas Iyer’s unbeaten 102 off 43 balls. The second T20I is hosted in Ranchi, giving Sharma a chance to turn a personal milestone into a piece of T20I history.