Abhishek Sharma closes in on Yuvraj Singh with second-fastest T20I fifty

Abhishek Sharma smashed the second-fastest T20I fifty for India, reaching the milestone in 14 balls against New Zealand in Guwahati, also powering India's second-highest powerplay score.

Abhishek Sharma lit up Guwahati with a blistering knock on Sunday, carving his name into India’s T20 International record books with second fastest half-century by an Indian batter. The left-hander raced to his fifty in just 14 balls against New Zealand in the third T20 International of the five-match series.

 

Sharma’s assault, marked by clean hitting and fearless strokeplay, set the tone for India’s innings and contributed to one of their most dominant powerplay performances in the format. The knock also carried personal significance, coming from a player who has often spoken about the influence of Yuvraj Singh in shaping his white-ball game.  India eventually won the match by 8 wickets, with 60 balls to spare.

 

 

Fastest fifty for India in T20 Internationals

 

Abhishek Sharma’s effort now stands as the second-fastest fifty by an Indian in T20 Internationals. Only Yuvraj Singh remains ahead of him on the list. Yuvraj’s iconic 12-ball half-century against England during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2007, when he famously struck six sixes off Stuart Broad in an over, continues to be the benchmark for Indian batters.  ''That's what my team wants from me and I just want to execute all the time. But obviously, it's not easy to do it every time, but I think it's all about mental as well and the atmosphere you get around your dressing room as well,'' Abhishek said after hitting fifty in just 14 balls.  While talking about breaking his mentor Yuvraj Singh's record of fastest fifty, Abhishek gave an cheeky reply.  "That's more than impossible for anyone (to break Yuvraj's fastest T20 fifty record), but still, you never know. Any batsman could do it because I think all the batters have been batting really well in this series as well and going forward, it's going to be fun," 25-year-old Sharma said.

 

Hardik Pandya occupies third place, having reached the milestone in 16 balls against South Africa in Ahmedabad in December 2025. 

FASTEST FIFTY FOR INDIA IN T20I HISTORY
Player	Balls	Match	Venue	Date
Yuvraj Singh	12	India v England	Durban	19/09/07
Abhishek Sharma	14	India vs New Zealand	Guwahati	25-1-2026
Hardik Pandya	16	India v South Africa	Ahmedabad	19/12/25

 

Quickest 50 against a Full Member team (by balls)

• 12 balls Yuvraj Singh vs Eng Durban 2007
• 13 balls Jan Frylinck vs Zim Bulawayo 2025
• 14 balls Colin Munro vs SL Auckland 2016
• 14 balls Abhishek Sharma vs NZ Guwahati 2026 *
• 15 Quinton de Kock vs WI Centurin 2023

Powerplay dominance adds to India’s record books

 

Sharma’s explosive start also helped India post 94 for two in the powerplay, their second-highest powerplay total in T20 Internationals. Only the 95 for one against England at the Wankhede Stadium in 2025 stands higher.

 

The Guwahati effort is also India’s highest powerplay score against New Zealand, surpassing Australia’s 91 without loss against the same opponents in Auckland in 2018. The numbers underline how decisively India seized control in the opening six overs. 

Highest Powerplay totals for India

95/1 vs Eng Wankhede 2025

94/2 vs NZ Guwahati 2026 *

82/2 vs Sco Dubai 2021

82/1 vs Ban Hyderabad 2024

78/2 vs SA Joburg 2018

Also, the highest Powerplay total against NZ surpassing Australia’s 91/0 in Auckland in 2018.

 

Fastest fifties in T20Is: overall list

 

In the broader T20I landscape, the fastest half-century record is held by Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee, who reached the mark in just nine balls against Mongolia in 2023. Yuvraj Singh’s 12-ball effort remains second overall, while a cluster of players from associate and full-member nations have achieved the feat in 13 or 14 deliveries.

 

Abhishek Sharma’s 14-ball fifty places him among an elite global group, alongside established names such as Colin Munro and Quinton de Kock, as well as standout performers from emerging cricket nations. 

Fastest fifties in T20Is (Overall)
Player	Balls	Match	Venue	Date
Dipendra Singh Airee	9	Nepal v Mongolia	Hangzhou	27/09/23
Yuvraj Singh	12	India v England	Durban	19/09/07
Mirza Ahsan	13	Austria v Luxembourg	Ilfov County	31/08/19
Muhammad Fahad	13	Turkey v Bulgaria	Sofia	12/07/25
Tadiwanashe Marumani	13	Zimbabwe v Gambia	Nairobi (Ruaraka)	23/10/24
Jan Frylinck	13	Namibia v Zimbabwe	Bulawayo	18/09/25
C Munro	14	New Zealand v Sri Lanka	Auckland	10/01/16
R Satheesan	14	Romania v Serbia	Sofia	26/06/21
Sahil Chauhan	14	Estonia v Cyprus	Episkopi	17/06/24
Faisal Khan	15	Saudi Arabia v Kuwait	Al Amerat	24/01/19
Quinton de Kock	15	South Africa v West Indies	Centurion	26/03/23
Babar Hayat	15	Hong Kong v UAE	Mulpani	25/10/23
Taranjit Singh	15	Cyprus v Estonia	Episkopi	17/06/24
SD Hope	16	Bangladesh v West Indies	Sylhet	17/12/18
M Akayezu	16	Rwanda v Ghana	Rwanda	18/08/21
MM Ali	16	England v South Africa	Bristol	27/07/22
Imran Anwar	16	Bahrain v UAE	Al Amerat	13/04/24
Marco Jansen	16	South Africa v India	Centurion	13/11/24
Priyan Pushparajan	16	Malta v Estonia	Marsa	07/05/25
Hamid Safi	16	Austria v Slovenia	Latschach	17/05/25
Ali Raza	16	Belgium v Romania	Ilfov County	29/06/25
Manan Bashir	16	Bulgaria v Gibraltar	Sofia	11/07/23
Tim David	16	Australia v West Indies	Basseterre	25/07/25
Adil Butt	16	Eswatini v Mozambique	Malkerns	12/09/25
Hardik Pandya	16	India v South Africa	Ahmedabad	19/12/25