WATCH: World No 1 Abhishek Sharma blazes 3rd fastest fifty vs Australia at MCG

It was a one-man show from Team India in the second T20I match against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday. World No 1 T20I batter Abhishek Sharma stood tall amid ruins, top scoring with 68 off 37 balls with 2 sixes and 8 fours as Indians were bowled out for dismal 125 in 18.4 overs after batting first.

Abhishek Sharma also notched up the third fastest T20I fifty against Australia after Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj Singh. The Sunrisers Hyderabad batter bought up his fifty off 23 balls, even as Indians had slipped to 49 for 5 in the 8th over.

Only Rohit (off 19 balls in 2024) and Yuvraj (off 20 balls in 2007) have scored quicker fifties than Abhishek. Team India opener almost batted throughout the innings and was the eighth wicket, as he fell leg-before to Nathan Ellis in the 19th over.

WATCH Abhishek Sharma bring up a blazing fifty in the second T20I against Australia HERE…

 

.@IamAbhiSharma4 leads from the front with a blazing half-century, taking the Aussies head-on in true Skyball fashion!

Fearless intent, clean hitting, and total command at the crease! #AUSvIND 2nd T20I | LIVE NOW https://t.co/mq9j8bivd0 pic.twitter.com/bcAUdN2kyw

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 31, 2025

Abhishek Sharma also has 4th highest tally of runs after his first 25 T20I innings (among Test playing nations). The Punjab southpaw has 936 runs at a strike-rate of 193.39. England batter Dawid Malan holds the record with 1010 runs at a strike-rate of 142.45.

Pakistan’s Babar Azam had 952 runs in first 25 innings at a strike-rate of 123.48 while New Zealand’s Devon Conway managed 941 runs at strike-rate of 134.24. Former India captain Virat Kohli had managed to score 906 runs in his first 25 innings with a strike-rate of 129.99.

Abhishek put on 56 runs for the sixth wicket with Harshit Rana, who was surprisingly promoted ahead of all-rounder Shivam Dube in the batting order. Rana came up with 35 off 33 balls with 1 six and 4 fours, hogging most of the strike which left Abhishek frustrated.

Rana holed out to Xavier Bartlett in the 16th over of the innings and a couple of balls later Dube also departed for 4, caught behind by Josh Inglis. Earlier, Josh Hazlewood came up with a brilliant opening burst of 3/6 in his first 3 overs – dismissing Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma to push India on the backfoot.

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