Abhishek Sharma.
(Photo Source – Twitter/X)
India opener Abhishek Sharma hit a 28-ball century as Punjab defeated Meghalaya by seven wickets in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Batting first, Meghalaya had a decent outing at Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, scoring 142/7 runs in 20 overs. Arpit Subhas made 31 for Meghalaya while Ramandeep and Abhishek picked two wickets each for Punjab.
Abhishek started the second innings with a cluster of boundaries and the show didn’t stop until the end. The youngster was ruthless in the middle, smashing an unbeaten 106 runs in just 29 deliveries. With that, the cricketer registered the joint second-fastest century in T20 cricket alongside Urvil Patel, who hit a ton against Tripura recently. Sahil Chauhan’s 27-ball century against Cyprus is still the fastest-recorded century in T20 cricket.
Meanwhile, Abhishek now holds the record of joint-fastest Indian century in T20 cricket. Apart from that, the 24-year-old also hit his fourth century in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which is the most by any cricketer. Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Unmukt Chand and Ruturaj Gaikwad with three each stand second on the list.
Also Check – Meghalaya vs Punjab scorecard
His century helped Punjab chase 142 runs in just 9.3 overs. His opening partner Harnoor Singh departed for six while Salil Arora made just one. Sohraab Dhaliwal supported Abhishek in the middle, scoring 22 runs off 15 deliveries to get the job done for Punjab. The all-rounder was adjudged Player of the Match for his century and two wickets in the first innings.
With the win, Punjab have strengthened their spot in the points table. They are in contention to make it to the Quarter-Final but cannot afford to drop more points. Rajasthan, Bengal and Madhya Pradesh currently top the chart, having won five out of their six matches. Punjab, on the other hand, won four out of their seven games in Group A.