Dubai : After India's clash against Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, legendary Pakistani pacer Wasim Akram met young Indian cricketer Abhishek Sharma. Akram praised Abhishek for his remarkable 135-run innings in the fifth T20I against England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and advised him to stay focused.
His record-breaking knock came off just 54 deliveries and is now the highest individual score by an Indian men's player in the shortest format. The 24-year-old ended the five-match T20I series as the leading run-scorer, amassing 279 runs at an average of 55.80 and a strike rate of 219.68, including a century and a fifty. A video of their heartwarming interaction has been shared by the official X handle of SunRisers OrangeArmy Official.
Abhishek's 135 became the highest individual T20I score by an Indian, surpassing the previous record set by his Punjab teammate and childhood friend Shubman Gill, who had scored an unbeaten 126 off 63 balls against New Zealand in Ahmedabad in 2023.
Additionally, Abhishek reached his century in just 37 balls, making it the third-fastest hundred in T20Is among full-member nations, behind only South Africa's David Miller and India's Rohit Sharma, both of whom achieved the feat in 35 balls.
Abhishek's T20I career began with a duck against Zimbabwe, but he has since displayed blistering form in the format. His entry into the T20I squad came after Rahul Dravid's tenure as head coach ended, marking a new era in Indian cricket.
Under Gautam Gambhir's leadership, young talents like Abhishek were introduced into the T20I setup. Since then, Abhishek has consistently impressed with his performances. Akram, who met Abhishek in Dubai, praised the young southpaw and called him a "rising star" for India.
Abhishek is only the second player from a Test-playing nation to score a century and take multiple wickets in a T20I match, having scored 135 runs and taken two wickets for just three runs in the first over of the fifth T20I.