Ishan Kishan Breaks Abhishek Sharma's Record with Stunning Knock vs NZ

The second T20I between India and New Zealand at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur turned out to be a run fest yet again. Earlier, the first match of the series was also played on an excellent batting pitch.

During this match, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav asked New Zealand to bat first after winning the toss. The Kiwis replied brilliantly by putting up a total of 208 runs in the first innings. However, left-handed batter Ishan Kishan stunned the Kiwis with a fine knock while batting at No. 3 during India's reply.

Ishan Kishan Breaks Abhishek Sharma Record

Ishan Kishan, one of the best wicketkeepers in India, came out to bat in the very first over after Sanju Samson's dismissal. In the next over, India lost a huge wicket as the No. 1-ranked T20I batter Abhishek Sharma also departed on a golden duck.

New Zealand thought that they would cash in on the opportunity and put more pressure on the Indian side. However, Kishan had different plans as he ended up smashing a 21-ball half-century and became the batter with fastest fifty by Indian in T20 vs New Zealand, beating Abhishek Sharma's previous record.

Abhishek, who himself is one of the best T20 batsmen in the world, smashed a 22-ball fifty during the first T20I of the series. The opener produced a match-winning knock to take India home.

Ishan Kishan's Knock Helps India Chase 209

Ishan Kishan's 21-ball fifty helped India to recover from a horrible start after losing both their openers in the first two overs. Kishan's knock set a platform for a successful chase of a huge target of 209 runs. It also helped India skipper Suryakumar Yadav to take some time initially in his knock. Later, he went on to smash a stunning 23-ball fifty.

Kishan's 76-run knock featured 11 fours and four sixes, with a batting strike-rate of 237.50, the highest in the IND vs NZ 2nd T20I. The Men in Blue comfortably chased down the target with 4.4 overs still to spare, winning the match by seven wickets. With this performance, Team India became the fastest team to chase more than 200 runs in T20I history.

The left-handed batter Kishan has put up a strong claim for a spot in the playing XI in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. However, it would be interesting to see what happens when Tilak Varma makes his comeback in the team.