Abhishek Sharma he added an unusual record to his name during India’s fifth T20I against England at The Rose Bowl, becoming the player who made the most appearances in a T20I before playing a Test or ODI for an International Member.The left-handed opener made his 53rd T20I appearance for India on Saturday, beating former West Indies pacer Samuel Badree, who played 52 T20Is without representing his country in two other internationals.Most unseen T20Is in other formats (Full Teams)53 Abhishek Sharma52 Samuel Badree41 Tashinga Musekiwa30 Nuwan Thushara25 Harshal PatelThe highlight, however, came on a disappointing evening for Abhishek and India as England completed a 4-0 sweep with a crushing 56-run win at Southampton.Opening the chase for a fierce 258, Abhishek’s stay was short-lived. Jofra Archer chased him for three after another delivery, with a left-hander behind the wicketkeeper.India eventually finished on 201 for 8 despite half-centuries from Ishan Kishan (56) and Tilak Varma (53), just short of England.In the past, Jos Buttler produced one of the best performances of his T20I career, smashing 131 from just 64 balls, while Harry Brook remained unbeaten on 95. Their 233-run partnership for the second wicket became the fourth highest in T20I history and took England to 257 for 3.India’s bowlers struggled throughout, while a sloppy display only added to their woes. Buttler also got a much-needed reprieve after being dropped by Axar Patel, while Brook survived two dropped catches before India were charged.The loss also had far-reaching consequences beyond the series score. England have replaced India at the top of the ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings, right Shreyas IyerThe team suffered their sixth straight defeat after a 2-0 loss to Ireland.While Abhishek’s record shows his growth in India’s T20I setup, the opener is yet to make his debut in ODI or Test cricket, making his recent cricket quite unusual in international cricket.
