Abhishek Sharma had struggled to convert his starts into substantial scores in the opening two matches against West Indies. His performances were surprising because the series had offered batting-friendly conditions, while the West Indies bowling attack had not looked particularly threatening.
Abhishek was getting starts and playing attacking shots, but the big innings everyone expected from him was missing.
However, the third T20I was a completely different story. The left-handed opener finally unleashed his attacking game and smashed 69 runs at a strike rate of around 230.
And when Abhishek Sharma roars, records are bound to be shattered. That is exactly what happened against West Indies. His explosive innings was not just about dominating the opposition bowlers; it also helped him achieve a historic milestone that no batter in men’s T20I cricket had ever reached so quickly.
Abhishek Sharma created a new world record by becoming the fastest batter to complete 2,000 T20I runs in terms of balls faced, surpassing the previous record held by Indian batting superstar Suryakumar Yadav.
Abhishek Sharma Breaks Suryakumar Yadav's World Record
Abhishek Sharma needed just 1,024 balls to complete 2,000 runs in T20I cricketmaking him the fastest batter in the world to achieve this milestone in terms of deliveries faced.
This means he maintained an overall scoring rate equivalent to a strike rate of approximately 195 throughout his journey to 2,000 runs.
That is an extraordinary achievement in international cricket, especially considering the consistency required to maintain such an aggressive scoring rate.
Before Abhishek, the record belonged to Suryakumar Yadav, who completed 2,000 T20I runs in 1,164 deliveries.
Suryakumar has been one of the finest and most destructive T20 batters of his generation. Surpassing his record makes Abhishek’s achievement even more special.
Abhishek reached the milestone 140 balls quicker than Suryakumar Yadavestablishing a remarkable new benchmark in international T20 cricket.
Fastest to 2,000 Runs in Men’s T20Is (By Balls Faced)
| Rank | Player | Country | Balls Faced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abhishek Sharma | India | 1,024 |
| 2 | Suryakumar Yadav | India | 1,164 |
| 3 | Karanbir Singh | Austria | 1,180 |
| 4 | Aaron Finch | Australia | 1,283 |
| 5 | Muhammad Waseem | UAE | 1,293 |
The numbers clearly demonstrate how extraordinary Abhishek Sharma’s achievement is.
Even Suryakumar Yadav, who previously held the record, needed 140 additional deliveries to reach the same milestone.
Australian batting great Aaron Finch is also well behind Abhishek on this list.
The fact that Abhishek has surpassed such established T20 performers highlights the remarkable impact he has made in international cricket.
Abhishek Sharma’s Six-Hitting Ability Makes Him Special
One of the biggest reasons behind Abhishek Sharma’s extraordinary scoring rate is his exceptional six-hitting ability.
Unlike batters who take time to settle before attacking, Abhishek can start hitting boundaries from the very beginning of his innings.
His fearless approach allows India to score quickly during the powerplay and immediately put opposition bowlers under pressure.
He has already been setting records with his aggressive batting and six-hitting ability, and reaching 2,000 T20I runs in just 1,024 deliveries further underlines his impact.
Maintaining a strike rate close to 200 across such a large number of runs is something very few international batters have managed.
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