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India all-rounder Abhishek Sharma etched his name into the record books after registering the best bowling figures by an Indian opener in T20I cricket during the second T20I against Zimbabwe on Saturday. The left-arm spinner returned figures of 3/17, surpassing every Indian opener to produce the finest bowling performance in the shortest format. His spell came as India thrashed Zimbabwe by 90 runs to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Abhishek‘s effort now sits alongside two iconic performances by Indian openers across formats. Vinoo Mankad continues to hold the record in Tests with his remarkable 8/52 against Pakistan in 1952, while Ravi Shastri’s 5/15 against Australia in 1991 remains the best by an Indian opener in ODIs.
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Best bowling figures by an Indian opener:
- Tests: Vinoo Mankad – 8/52 vs Pakistan (1952)
- ODIs: Ravi Shastri – 5/15 vs Australia (1991)
- T20Is: Abhishek Sharma – 3/17 vs Zimbabwe (2026)
Abhishek had endured a disappointing outing with the bat after being dismissed cheaply by Blessing Muzarabani, but he made a decisive impact with the ball. Introduced as a part-time option, the left-arm spinner struck three times to ensure Zimbabwe never recovered during their daunting chase of 220. Zimbabwe’s pursuit lost momentum after Brian Bennett’s early aggression was cut short, and the visitors kept chipping away at regular intervals. Abhishek’s three wickets, along with two each from Yash Thakur and Prince Yadav, bundled the hosts out for 129. Earlier, India recovered from 29/2 thanks to Ishan Kishan‘s commanding 81 and Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 60. Kishan steadied the innings before accelerating in the latter half of his knock, while Tilak produced a fluent half-century to power India to 219/5. The bowlers then completed the job in emphatic fashion, with Abhishek capping off the victory by creating a new Indian record.
