Indian Abhishek Sharma (AP Photo)
India all-rounder Abhishek Sharma etched his name in the record books after recording the best bowling figures by an Indian opener in T20I cricket during the second T20I against Zimbabwe on Saturday. The left-arm spinner returned figures of 3/17, going past every Indian opener to produce his best bowling performance in the shortest format. His spell came as India thrashed Zimbabwe by 90 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Abhishek’s efforts are now evident alongside two outstanding performances by the Indian opener across formats. Venu Mankad continues to hold the record in Tests with his brilliant 8/52 against Pakistan in 1952, while Ravi Shastri’s 5/15 against Australia in 1991 remains the best by an Indian opener in ODIs.
Best bowling figures of Indian openers:
- Tests: Venu Mankad – 8/52 vs Pakistan (1952)
- Away matches: Ravi Shastri – 5/15 vs Australia (1991)
- T20Is: Abhishek Sharma – 17/3 vs Zimbabwe (2026)
Abhishek had a disappointing experience with the bat after being dismissed cheaply by Blessing Muzarabani, but he made a decisive impact with the ball. Introduced as a part-time option, the left-arm pacer struck three overs to ensure Zimbabwe never recovered during their grueling chase of 220. Zimbabwe’s quest lost momentum after Brian Bennett’s early attack was halted, and the visitors continued to take the lead at regular intervals.
Abhishek’s three wickets, along with two from Yash Thakur and Prince Yadav, collected the hosts for 129. Earlier, India recovered from 29/2 thanks to Ishan Kishan’s dominant 81 and Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 60. Kishan stabilized the innings before accelerating in the latter half of his batting, while Tilak produced a fluent half-century to take India to 219/5. The bowlers then completed the job in emphatic fashion, with Abhishek capping off the win by setting a new Indian record.
