Abhishek reaches milestone as India secure Australia series
India overcame an early stutter in the T20I series against Australia to secure a 2-1 win Down Under.
A no-result in the final game of the five-match T20I series against Australia meant that the tourists secured a 2-1 series win.
In the final game of the series, India’s opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill got them off to a rapid start as they found themselves at 52/0 in 4.5 overs. However, play was halted following inclement weather, and the players weren’t able to take the field.
But there was enough time for milestones, as Abhishek, who enjoyed some good fortune in the form of dropped catches, achieved the milestone of 1000 T20I runs in the format.
During his unbeaten knock of 23 off 13, Abhishek became the fastest to reach 1000 T20I runs in Men’s cricket in terms of balls faced. He achieved the feat in merely 528 balls, beating the record held by his skipper Suryakumar Yadav (573 balls).
In terms of innings, he was the second-fastest Indian to achieve the landmark, sitting behind India great Virat Kohli. While Abhishek achieved the tally in 28 innings, Kohli did it in one less.
After the first game of the series was washed out, Australia secured a win in the second T20I on the back of Josh Hazlewood’s 3/13.
However, India fought back in Hobart and Gold Coast, taking a lead in the series.
Along with their recent Asia Cup success, this win boosts India further and puts them in good standing ahead of the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Both sides will now head into assignments in the red-ball format as Australia head into the much-anticipated Ashes series against England, with the first Test set to commence from November 21 in Perth.
On the other hand, India will take on the Proteas in a two-match Test series on home soil, heralding the return of vice-captain Rishabh Pant after his injury lay-off as part of their World Test Championship 2025-27 campaign, with the first Test beginning on November 14 in Kolkata.