Abhishek Sharma enters the record books with a bizarre feat in India’s defeat to England

Abhishek Sharma added an extraordinary record to his name during India’s fifth T20I against England at The Rose Bowl, becoming the player with the most T20I appearances before playing either a Test or ODI for a full-fledged country.The left-handed opener made his 53rd T20I appearance for India on Saturday, surpassing former West Indies pacer Samuel Padre, who has played 52 T20Is without representing his country in the other two international formats.

Most T20Is not featured in other formats (full member teams)53 Abhishek Sharma52 Samuel Badri41 Tashinga Mosekiwa30 Nawan Thashara25 Harshal PatelHowever, the historic feat came on a disappointing evening for both Abhishek and India, as England completed their dominant 4-0 winning run with a crushing 56-run win in Southampton.The opening of An Uphill Chase 258, Abhishek’s stay lasted only a short time. Jofra Archer dismissed him for three after getting an extra bounce, with the left-hander getting the better of the wicket-keeper.India eventually finished on 201 for 8 despite half-centuries from Ishan Kishan (56) and Tilak Varma (53), well short of England’s imposing total.Earlier, Jos Buttler delivered one of the best innings of his T20I career, smashing 131 off just 64 balls, while Harry Brook remained unbeaten with 95.

Their massive 233-run partnership for the second wicket became the fourth-highest stand in T20I history and pushed England to 257 for 3.India’s bowlers struggled throughout the innings, while sloppy fielding compounded their woes. Buttler was given a crucial time out after being dropped by Axar Patel, while Brook survived the fall of two catches before India were bowled over.The defeat also had serious consequences beyond the series result. England have replaced India at the top of the ICC Men’s T20I team rankings, while Shreyas Iyer’s side suffered a sixth successive defeat in the format after losing the previous series 2-0 to Ireland.Although Abhishek’s record highlights his growing presence in India’s T20I setup, the opener still awaits his debut in ODI or Test cricket, making his latest achievement one of the most unusual in international cricket.