Irresistible Abhishek Sharma toppled records en route a 54-ball 135, the second-fastest century and the highest score by an Indian batter in T20Is, as the hosts crushed a feeble England by 150 runs in the fifth T20I to take the series 4-1 here on Sunday.Abhishek went hammer and tongs to power India to 247/9, their highest-ever T20I total against England, after the visitors opted to bowl. Jos Buttler’s men surrendered meekly, getting bowled out for just 97 in 10.3 overs.India’s win by 150 runs is now their second biggest by margin of runs in T20Is after their 168-run hammering of New Zealand in 2023.Phil Salt’s initial onslaught of a 23-ball 55 with seven fours and three sixes kept England on track for a mammoth chase, but the rest of the batters produced an uninspired show, crumbling like ninepins at the Wankhede Stadium.The major chunk of England batters—Ben Duckett (0), Buttler (7), Harry Brook (2), and Liam Livingstone (9)—together made an embarrassing 18 runs on a perfect batting track.There wasn’t any resistance from the tail either. After hammering their bowlers, Abhishek returned to haunt England batters to take two wickets (2/3) in his only over, dismissing Brydon Carse (3) and Jamie Overton (1).Mohammed Shami returned 3/25, Shivam Dube took 2/11, Varun Chakravarthy claimed 2/25, and Ravi Bishnoi bagged 1/9.But then the night belonged to only one man as Abhishek tore into the English bowling with disdain, producing a knock of the highest quality.
