India opener Abhishek Sharma’s brief pre-bat routine has once again attracted attention after he produced a record-breaking knock against New Zealand in the third T20I in Guwahati on Sunday.Just before coming out to bat, Sharma was seen hitting the ball with his bat and then swinging it between his hands, keeping his eyes fixed on it. The sequence, repeated before the last entries, went viral again on social networks after his last performance.
Sharma then entered the record books by scoring the second-fastest T20I half-century by an Indian. He reached fifty in 14 balls. Only Yuvraj Singh has scored a faster T20I fifty for India, reaching the mark in 12 balls against England during the 2007 T20 World Cup.With this innings, Sharma also surpassed India captain Suryakumar Yadav for the most T20I fifty by an Indian in 25 balls or less. Sharma now has nine of those fifties, while Yadav has eight.Sharma also completed 1200 T20I runs during the knock. He reached the milestone in 36 innings. He scored 68 off 20 balls, hitting seven fours and five sixes, reaching 340.His innings, along with Suryakumar Yadav’s 57 off 26 balls, helped India chase down 154 in 10 overs for an eight-wicket win. India also sealed the five-match T20I series, winning the first three games.Sharma’s production at the top of the order was notable for both volume and scoring rate. A year and a half after his T20I debut, he rose to the top of the T20I batting rankings.As the runs continue to come, Sharma’s brief routine before batting has once again become a point of discussion, linking preparation with performance at the highest level.