NEW DELHI: Railways’ middle-order batter Ashutosh Sharma made headlines on Tuesday by breaking a 16-year-old record set by former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh for the fastest fifty by an Indian batter in T20s.
He achieved the feat in a Group C clash against Arunachal Pradesh in Ranchi during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament.
Ashutosh’s record-breaking feat saw him reach his half-century in just 11 balls. Stepping into the middle at a score of 131/4 with five overs left, the 25-year-old, playing only his second match for Railways, displayed his power-hitting prowess.
With a remarkable 441.66 strike rate, he blazed his way to 53 off 12 deliveries, with the help of 8 sixes and one four.
Despite getting out in the penultimate over, Ashutosh’s explosive inning significantly contributed to Railways’ total of 246 for 5.
Ashutosh made his T20 debut back in 2018 for Madhya Pradesh, with his last T20 appearance in 2019. He has played only one 50-over game, also for Madhya Pradesh in 2019, and is yet to make his debut in first-class cricket.
Yuvraj had held the record for the fastest fifty in T20 cricket overall for 16 years until it was recently surpassed by Dipendra Singh Airee from Nepal just last month, during a match against Mongolia in the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Yuvraj notched up a 12-ball fifty against England during the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007.
He achieved the feat in a Group C clash against Arunachal Pradesh in Ranchi during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament.
Ashutosh’s record-breaking feat saw him reach his half-century in just 11 balls. Stepping into the middle at a score of 131/4 with five overs left, the 25-year-old, playing only his second match for Railways, displayed his power-hitting prowess.
With a remarkable 441.66 strike rate, he blazed his way to 53 off 12 deliveries, with the help of 8 sixes and one four.
Despite getting out in the penultimate over, Ashutosh’s explosive inning significantly contributed to Railways’ total of 246 for 5.
Ashutosh made his T20 debut back in 2018 for Madhya Pradesh, with his last T20 appearance in 2019. He has played only one 50-over game, also for Madhya Pradesh in 2019, and is yet to make his debut in first-class cricket.
Yuvraj had held the record for the fastest fifty in T20 cricket overall for 16 years until it was recently surpassed by Dipendra Singh Airee from Nepal just last month, during a match against Mongolia in the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Yuvraj notched up a 12-ball fifty against England during the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007.