Abhishek Sharma set a new record for hitting the first ball he faced for a six most often in T20Is, but India had a huge target to chase after New Zealand posted 225/8 in the opening T20I in Christchurch on Thursday.Chasing 226, Abhishek faced his first delivery off the final ball of the first over and sent Matt Henry over the cover boundary for a six. Henry bowled a full delivery wide of off stump, but Abhishek went through with his lofted drive and cleared the ropes to reach the milestone.Abhishek has now hit the first ball he faced for a six seven times in T20Is, moving ahead of Afghanistan’s Shafiqullah Shinwari, who has done so six times. Suryakumar Yadav is third on the list with five such sixes, while Ireland’s Paul Stirling, New Zealand’s Colin Munro and the UAE’s Mohammad Naveed have managed it four times each.Most sixes off the first ball faced in T20Is
- 7 — Abhishek Sharma (India)
- 6 — Shafiqullah Shinwari (Afghanistan)
- 5 — Suryakumar Yadav (India)
- 4 — Paul Stirling (Ireland)
- 4 — Colin Munro (New Zealand)
- 4 — Mohammad Naveed (UAE)
Abhishek and Sanju Samson gave India the quick start they needed, putting together 93 runs for the opening wicket in just 5.5 overs. However, Michael Bracewell ended the partnership by dismissing Abhishek for 29 off 12 balls. The left-hander struck three sixes and two fours during his brief innings.The partnership also saw Abhishek and Samson equal the record for the most 50-plus opening stands by an Indian pair in T20Is in a calendar year. Their stand was their fifth such partnership in 2026, putting them alongside two other Indian pairs on the list.Most 50-plus opening stands for India in a calendar year in T20Is
- 5 — KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma (2021)
- 5 — Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill (2025)
- 5 — Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson (2026)
- 4 — Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma (2018)
Earlier, Finn Allen and Glenn Phillips led New Zealand to 225/8, the joint-highest total against India in T20Is and New Zealand’s highest on home soil. Allen scored 45 off 24 balls, while Phillips remained unbeaten on 82 off 40 deliveries.With Jasprit Bumrah not part of the squad, India’s bowlers struggled to contain the hosts. Despite some early swing, New Zealand’s batters found ways to score freely, adding 67 runs in the final five overs.Axar Patel was India’s most expensive bowler, conceding 51 runs in four overs. The innings also brought an unwanted record for India, as five bowlers conceded 40 or more runs in a T20I innings for the first time. It was the 13th such instance in men’s T20Is overall.Bhuvneshwar Kumar conceded 49 runs in his four overs, Arshdeep Singh gave away 45, Mayank Yadav and Nitish Reddy conceded 40 each, while Axar finished with figures of 1/51.At the time of writing the story, India were 128/4 in 11 overs.
