New Delhi: Abhishek Sharma continued his love of batting on Friday, rewriting the T20I books in India’s opening match against Ireland in Belfast and becoming the first batsman from a Full Member country to bat in five years in 20 balls or less.The left-handed opener reached his latest fifty in just 19 years, adding another impressive knock to his whirlwind development. No other batsman from the Full Member has managed the triple feat, putting Abhishek in a league of his own.Some of the biggest names in T20 cricket – including Yuvraj Singh, David Warner, Phil Salt, Colin Munro, Dasun Shanaka and Finn Allen – have each recorded their fastest fifties.Abhishek reached the milestone in the eighth over with a deep-wicket pull, drawing applause from the Indian dressing room before accepting the applause with a thumbs-up.His innings also became the third fastest T20I fifty scored by Ireland, behind Stephan Myburgh’s 17-ball in 2014 and Litton Das’ 18-ball blitz in 2023. Fastest T20I 50s vs Ireland (with balls)
- 17 – Stephan Myburgh (Sylhet 2014)
- 18 – Litton Das (Chattogram 2023)
- 19 – Abhishek Sharma (Belfast 2026)
- 20 – Phil Salt (Malahide 2025)
Fireworks will last for a long time
However, the celebrations did not last long. Three balls after bringing up his fifty, Abhishek fell to exactly 50 from 20 balls, smashing four fours and two sixes during a fearless display at the top of the order.Irish pacer Liam McCarthy picked up his first T20I wicket when Abhishek missed the pull, while Matthew Humphreys completed a catch at mid-wicket.Despite his dismissal, the 25-year-old had already done a lot of damage, giving India another flying start and underlining why he has become one of the most destructive batsmen in the world.Earlier, Indian pacers laid the foundation by restricting Ireland to 182 for 9 after opting to bat in the first innings.Harshit Rana played with figures of 3 for 24, chasing Tim Tector, Ross Adair and captain Lorcan Tucker, who won with 50. Arshdeep Singh made it with two wickets, while Shivam Dube and Axar Patel also struck at important times.Although Ireland recovered through Tucker and Gareth Delany, whose 49 threatened to push the hosts past 190, a formidable Indian attack held them back.Abhishek then confirmed that the eviction started in a strange way. Although his stay lasted just 20 balls, it was enough to create another record, further cementing his reputation as one of the most explosive T20 cricketers.