Page 39 - The Indian EYE 013125

SPORTS JANUARY 31, 2025 | The Indian Eye 39

INDIA-ENGLAND T20Is

Like his mentor Yuvraj Singh, young gun

Abhishek Sharma goes on a six-hitting spree

Yuvraj holds the record for the fastest fifty, brought up in just 12 deliveries in Durban in 2007.

KL Rahul’s heroics in Manchester, in 2018 saw him reach his 50 in 27 deliveries

OUR BUREAU
a mere 34 deliveries took centerstage
Kolkata as India effortlessly chased down 133
with more than seven overs to spare.
efore India shifts its focus to During his blitzkrieg, Abhishek cele-
the One-Day format, the Men
Bin Blue kicked off the five- brated his 50 in just 20 balls, the sec-
ond fastest by an Indian against En-
match T20I series against England gland in the T20I format.
with flying colours in Kolkata. With Abhishek’s mentor, Yuvraj, holds
an all-rounded effort, England were the record for hammering the fastest
stumped at the Eden Gardens as India fifty, brought up in just 12 deliveries
celebrated an emphatic 7-wicket win. in Durban in 2007. KL Rahul’s hero-
The series opener was expect-
ed to be a high-scoring affair, but ics in Manchester, in 2018 saw him
celebrate his fifty in 27 deliveries.
the brilliance of the Indian bowlers
turned it into a one-sided affair.
The T20I series will be followed In Eden Gardens on Wednesday,
by three ODIs against England, out of Abhishek’s 79 runs, 68
which will be the perfect opportuni-
ty for both teams to try and test their came in the form of boundar-
combination. India, the last edition’s ies. With his repertoire of shots,
finalists, will look to go all the way
and lift the coveted Champions Tro- Abhishek Sharma plays a shot during the 1st T20I match against England, at Eden Gardens in he reeled away five fours and a
phy for the first time since 2013. India Kolkata on Wednesday (ANI) whopping eight maximums while
remains a favourite despite the con-
cerning form of the Indian stalwarts the record with 13 sixes against New put his power-hitting ability on ex- striking at 232.35.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Zealand. hibition in the series opener against
Abhishek Sharma engineered an He certainly had luck on his
explosive performance and delivered Mentored by Yuvraj, Abhishek English tearaways. His swift 79 from side after being dropped twice in
India’s second-fastest fifty for India the game. He unleashed a flurry of
against England (in terms of balls VARUN VOWS TO WORK boundaries during his swashbuckling
faced) in the T20I format at the Eden performance and brought up his fifty
Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday. HARDER TO “PERFECT” A KEY in style with a dazzling six.
Indian left-handers bashing English Former India captain Kapil Dev
bowlers in the T20I format has been ASPECT OF HIS GAME expressed his delight with the way
a love affair that became famous with India engineered a commanding vic-
Yuvraj Singh’s exploits in the 2007 ndia’s ace T20I spinner Varun Chakravarthy already has an tory over England in the first T20I in
T20 World Cup. Chakravarthy revealed the key ace up his sleeve -- the googly, which Kolkata.
Abhishek’s six-hitting spree Iaspect he has been working on is difficult for batters to pick. How- After the conclusion of the white-
featured three maximums off Adil to make his deliveries more mys- ever, the 33-year-old has focused on ball series with England, India will
Rashid, two against Mark Wood, terious after delivering a Player of varying his pace, keeping opposition begin its journey of lifting the Cham-
and one each off Jofra Archer, Jamie the Match performance in the first batters guessing. “I’ve worked on pions Trophy next month. Ahead of
Overton, and Gus Atkinson. His tally T20I against England at Eden Gar- trying to vary my pace. I don’t want the marquee event, the 1983 World
of eight sixes surpassed the previous dens. batters to line me up because I’m Cup-winning captain said he “always”
Indian record of six sixes in a T20I Kolkata’s local hero, Chakra- bowling at the same speed every ball. has best wishes for the Indian team.
chase, a mark jointly held by Rohit varthy, showcased his unpredictable That’s what I’ve worked on, and I’m “It felt good to see India winning
Sharma (achieved twice), Suryaku- variations, leaving English batters in trying to perfect it further,” Chakra- the game yesterday. I hope India
mar Yadav, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, a spin. On a pitch where Chakravar- varthy said on Disney+ Hotstar. keeps on playing like this. I feel really
Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Axar Patel. thy has bowled extensively, it wasn’t Chakravarthy quickly realised happy,” Kapil Dev told reporters on
Globally, the record for most the turn that made him effective, that bounce was the key to success, Thursday.
sixes in a T20I chase stands at 18 by but the variation in pace combined rather than relying solely on turn. He Kapil said he “always” has best
Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan. Among with the bounce he generated off adjusted his plan of attack according wishes for the Rohit Sharma-led side,
players from Full Member nations, the surface. to the surface’s requirements. which will begin its campaign on Feb-
South Africa’s Richard Levi holds ruary 20.

www.TheIndianEYE.com