Gill, Abhishek script this partnership record against Pakistan (T20Is)
What's the story
In a historic feat, Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma have set a new record for India's highest opening partnership in T20Is against Pakistan. The duo put together an impressive 105-run stand during the Asia Cup Super Four clash on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium. They broke the previous record of 77 runs set by Gautam Gambhir and Ajinkya Rahane in the 2012 Bengaluru T20I.
Match highlights
Gill and Sharma's blistering start
The left-right combination of Gill and Sharma gave India a blistering start in Dubai. Their partnership was broken in the 10th over when Gill was clean bowled by Faheem Ashraf for 47 off 28 balls, which included eight fours. At that time, India were already well ahead with a score of 105/1. Abhishek ended up scoring 74 off just 39 balls as India prevailed in the 19th over.
DYK
2nd-fastest T20I fifty in India vs Pakistan matches
Abhishek has now hit the 2nd-fastest fifty in India-Pakistan T20Is (by balls). He took 24 balls to complete his fifty. Fastest 50s in IND-PAK T20Is (by balls): 23 - Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmedabad 2012 24 - Abhishek Sharma, Dubai 2025* 29 - Yuvraj Singh, Ahmedabad 2012 32 - Iftikhar Ahmed, Melbourne 2022 33 - Misbah-ul-Haq, Durban 2007
Match summary
India's successful run-chase
Earlier, Pakistan had set a target of 171/5 in their 20 overs with Sahibzada Farhan scoring a half-century. In response, India chased down the target successfully with seven balls to spare, thanks to Gill and Sharma's record-breaking partnership. Notably, Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya are the only other Indian batters with a century stand versus Pakistan in T20Is. They had famously added 113 runs for the fifth wicket in the 2022 T20 World Cup match in Melbourne.