Hyderabad: Sharma bludgeoned the Mohammed Shami-led Bengal attack into submission with a brutal 52-ball 148, which comprised a staggering 16 sixes, to power Punjab to a 112-run victory the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Group C match, in Hyderabad, on Sunday.
Playing in the manner that best defines his batting, Abhishek raced to a 12-ball half-century, which is the joint-third-fastest fifty and joint-second-fastest by an Indian in men's T20 cricket.
Thanks to his explosive knock against an incisive attack spearheaded by seasoned campaigner Shami and the nippy Akash Deep, Punjab amassed an imposing 310 for five batting first.
Bengal were stopped at 198 for nine in their allotted 20 overs despite a 66-ball 130-run knock by skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran, who also hit eight sixes and 13 fours.
In terms of sixes struck in a T20 innings by an Indian, Abhishek is now placed second in the list behind Punit Bisht (17), who got it in a domestic game against Mizoram.
Sanju Samson found his mojo back in a familiar opening position, smashing five sixes in a 15-ball-43 as Kerala cantered home by eight wickets against Chattisgarh in a Group A game in Lucknow.
Batting first, Chattisgarh could manage only a paltry 120 in 19.5 overs, former CSK seamer KM Asif grabbing 3 for 16. His victims included Punjab Kings batter Shashank Singh, who was out for a duck. Only Sanjeet Desai (35 off 23 balls) managed to connect a few big hits but the Chattisgarh innings never had the momentum.
On a flat deck, Kerala raced past the finishing line in just 10.4 overs with Samson taking the charge at the top of the order.
Brief scores: Punjab 310/5 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 148, Prabhsimran Singh 70) beat Bengal 198/9 in 20 overs (Abhimanyu Easwaran 130; Harpreet Brar 4/23) by 112 runs. Agencies
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