India humiliate England with 150-run win

MUMBAI, India:

Abhishek Sharma smacked England for 13 sixes and a 37-ball hundred before taking two wickets in his only over as India won the fifth Twenty20 by a massive 150 runs yesterday.

Sharma hit a record individual men's T20 score for India -- 135 runs off 54 balls -- as the hosts amassed 247-9 in 20 overs after losing the toss at Wankhede. Shubman Gill previously held the record for India with 126 not out against New Zealand in 2023.

England collapsed in reply to 97 all out in 10.3 overs as India won the five-match series 4-1.

Sharma lit up the Mumbai skyline with a flurry of sixes and seven fours before England were all out with 57 balls to spare. His 13 sixes also set a record for the most sixes by an India batter in a T20 match, beating the previous record of 10 which was shared by Rohit Sharma, Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma.

Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy took 2-25 for India, while Shivam Dube got 2-11. Sharma took 2-3 in his one over.

Sharma hit 50 off only 17 balls - the second quickest for an Indian batter in T20s -- as India scored 95-1 in the powerplay.

The left-handed opener put on 115 runs off 43 balls for the second wicket with Varma.

India had crossed 100 in only the seventh over, thanks to Sharma's whirlwind knock, but stumbled past the halfway mark.

India conceded five wickets across 41 deliveries but it didn't reflect on the scoreboard as Sharma was unstoppable.

He reached his second T20 hundred off only 37 balls - the second quickest for India in men's T20s behind Rohit Sharma's 35-ball hundred against Sri Lanka in 2017.

Sharma finished with a strike-rate of 250.

India scored their fourth highest innings total in T20s. It was also the second-highest T20 score against England, whose reply fell apart despite Phil Salt's 55 off 23 balls.

Mohammed Shami sent back Ben Duckett for a golden duck and the spinners took over thereafter. Jos Buttler was caught off Chakravarthy for seven runs and the wickets kept falling.

Harry Brook swept straight to the fielder off Ravi Bishnoi, out caught for two, and for a fifth time against leg spin in five games.

Salt reached his half-century with seven fours and three sixes - he was caught off Dube's first ball, who also bowled Jacob Bethell (10), the only other English batter to reach double figures.

Sharma then got into the bowling attack - Brydon Carse and Jamie Overton were caught in the space of five deliveries on a memorable night for the 24-year-old.

England collapsed to their fourth lowest total and their heaviest loss in T20s.

For India, it was the second-highest victory margin (by runs) after 168 runs against New Zealand in 2023.

- AP