Mumbai: Abhishek Sharma smashed records galore, posting the second-fasted fifty and hundred, whilst recording the highest score of 135 for India in T20I as they thrashed England by 150 runs in the fifth and final match to seal a 4-1 triumph in the five-match series at the Wankhede Stadium here on Sunday.
It was Super Sunday all along for India as they posted a massive score of 247/9 in 20 overs and then bundled out England for 97 in 10.3 overs to win the match by 150 runs with 57 balls, romping to their second-biggest victory by a run margin after the 168-run triumph against New Zealand at Ahmedabad two years back.
Abhishek hammered the second-fastest fifty (17 balls) and second-fastest century (37 balls) during a majestic 135 off 54 balls, treating every England bowler with disdain; pulling, hoicking, reversing and driving with aplomb as he struck seven boundaries and 13 scintillating sixes in one of the best knocks by an Indian batter in bilateral T20 cricket in recent times.
In reply, England fell to some brilliant bowling by Mohammed Shami, who came into the playing XI in place of Arshdeep Singh, and bagged 3-25 while the Indian slow-bowlers and the scoreboard pressure too contributed to their downfall as the visitors crashed to 97 all out in 10.3 overs, losing by 150 runs with 57 balls to spare.
Phil Salt raced to a 23-ball 55 but the rest of the England batters failed to click with Ben Duckett (0), Jos Buttler (7), Harry Brook (2), Liam Livingstone (9), Brydon Carse (3) and Jamie Overton (1) departed for single-digit scores as England slumped to 96/8 in the 10th over. The contrast in both innings were stark as India were 142/3 at the same stage earlier in the evening.
Mohammed Shami started England's downfall by getting Duckett to drive to Abhishek Sharma and Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi packed off Buttler and Brook as England slumped to 59/3. Abhishek Sharma (2-3 in one over) and Shivam Dube (2-11), whose substitution for concussion in the previous match had triggered a controversy, claimed a couple of wickets each and England's troubles mounted. It was an embarrassing collapse as none of the England batters barring Salt could do anything.
It was an abject surrender by the England batters as only Salt and Jacob Bathell (10) reached double figures as the visitors sumped to an embarrassing defeat with 57 balls to spare. Shami completed their misery with the final two wickets off successive balls in the 11th over.
Abhishek Sharma was adjudged the Player of the Match for his sensational knock while Varun Chakravarthy bagged the Player of Tournament award for his brilliant bowling throughout the series.
England skipper Jos Butter had opted to bowl first hoping to exploit the assistance bowlers usually get at the Wankhede but that not materialise as Abhishek came out with all guns blazing. Their expectations of the dew hampering the Indian bowlers too did not materialise as India ended their chase in quick time.
Though India lost Sanju Samson (16) cheaply after he started the match with a bang by pulling Jofra Archer for a six off the first ball of the first over and repeating the act on the fifth delivery; Abhishek raised 115 runs for the second wicket partnership with Tilak Varma.
Archer's bad day continued as Abhishek Sharma first smashed him to the extra-cover fence and then cut and cover-drove him in the point region for back-to-back sixes. Archer's two overs cost 34 runs.
The left-handed Abhishek went hammer and tongs at Mark Wood and Jamie Overton and also mauled other bowlers, hitting Wood for two fours and a six in the fourth over, hammered back-to-back sixes off the first two deliveries by Overton as he raced to his fifty off 17 balls, the second fastest for India in T20Is after Yuvraj Singh's 12-ball blitz against England in the 2007 T20 World Cup in Durban. India were 95/1 at the end of six overs, posting their highest-ever score in Powerplay in T20Is.
Abhishek and Tilak Varma reached 100 runs in the second wicket partnership off 36 balls, with Abhishek contributing 80 and Varma 23. Varma (23 off 15) fell soon after, caught behind by Phil Salt off Brydon Carse. But their 115-4un partnership has already put India on course for a big total. IANS
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