T20 WC final: Abhishek Sharma sets record with 18-ball fifty
What's the story
Indian opener Abhishek Sharma finally broke the shackles by scoring an 18-ball half-century against New Zealand in the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup final. The left-handed batter, who earlier struggled in the tournament, scored a 21-ball 52 at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium. Abhishek, who added 98 runs with Sanju Samson, now has the joint second-fastest half-century for India in T20 World Cups.
Match performance
Abhishek's blistering knock puts India in strong position
The Kiwis kept Samson and Abhishek at bay in the first two overs, conceding just 12 runs. Settling in, both the Indian openers regularly took the aerial route. As a result, India were 51/0 in four overs. While Samson's maturity kept the scoreboard ticking, Abhishek showed his audacious strokes. As India reached 92/0 in six overs, Abhishek touched the 50-run mark. In the eighth over, Rachin Ravindra dismissed Abhishek for 52 (21). His knock had 6 fours and 3 sixes.
Record achievement
Abhishek only behind Yuvraj Singh
With his blistering knock, Abhishek now has the joint second-fastest half-century for India in T20 World Cup history. His mentor, Yuvraj Singh, holds the overall record (12 balls vs England in 2007, Durban). And KL Rahul hammered an 18-ball fifty against Scotland in the 2021 edition. Only two other players have scored a half-century off fewer than 18 balls in the tournament.
Twitter Post
Abhishek rises to the occasion
Cometh the hour, cometh the man! 😍
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 8, 2026
Abhishek Sharma brings up his fifty in just 18 balls, fastest of the tournament! 💪
ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup | FINAL | #INDvNZ | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/Tz1DBSb4nT pic.twitter.com/mcmGhlxJxe
Information
Fastest fifty of the 2026 event
The previous-fastest half-century of the 2026 T20 World Cup was jointly held by five players - Dasun Shanaka, Aiden Markram, Shimron Hetmyer, Finn Allen, and Jacob Bethell (19 balls each).