Abhishek Sharma responded to a message from his mentor Yuvraj Singh in the best possible way, smashing a record-breaking century against Afghanistan in the third and final T20I in New Delhi on Thursday.The left-handed opener hit a 30-ball hundred, the fastest T20I century by a player from an ICC Full Member nation. He also broke Rohit Sharma’s record for the fastest T20I century by an Indian. Abhishek eventually scored 102 as India posted 221/7 and won the match by 127 runs.After being named Player of the Match, Abhishek revealed that Yuvraj had sent him a message before the game, advising him not to force shots and to rotate the strike when the ball was not in his hitting zone.“And in the last match, I only got a text from him that I shouldn’t be forcing all the balls. Specifically in these conditions, if I just take one or two singles in between, it’s not, you know, in my slot. I can take a single as well,” Abhishek told the broadcasters.“But obviously, sir always wants me to play long, and I always have it in my mind that if I give the team such a start, obviously, when we are on the winning side, that is always in my mind,” he added.The advice came at an important time for Abhishek, who had been under pressure after a difficult series in Zimbabwe. With India also looking for a settled opening combination, the left-hander needed runs to strengthen his position.
Abhishek Sharma ends series on a high
He answered those questions with a superb series against Afghanistan, scoring 82, 39 and 108 in the three matches, according to the supplied figures. His quick starts gave India a strong platform in each game.His 102 in the final T20I took his series tally to 229 runs and included his third T20I century. It was also his second T20I hundred in fewer than 40 balls.India finished on 221/7 after 20 overs before bowling Afghanistan out for 94. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ravi Bishnoi took three wickets each as India completed a 127-run victory.