Abhishek Sharma put on 93 runs for the first wicket with Sanju Samson in less than six over chasing 226 to win in 1st T20I vs New Zealand at Hagley Oval in Christchurch
Published: October 22, 2026, 3:46 PM IST
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Team India opener Abhishek Sharma smashed 29 in 1st T20I match vs New Zealand(Photo: IANS)
IND vs NZ 2026 1st T20: World No2 batter Abhishek Sharma had hit 143 sixes in 66 T20I matches before he stepped out to open the innings in the 1st T20I match vs New Zealand at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on ThursdayHe didn’t waste any time in hitting his 144th T20I six, chasing a massive 226 to win in the first game of the five-match series.
Abhishek Sharma rewrote the world record with his six off Matt Henry in the opening over of India’s chaseThe Sunrisers Hyderabad opener got off the mark off the first ball that he faced with a six to achieve an incredible world record.
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The Indian opener has now hit the most first-ball six in history of T20I cricket with 7 maximums till dateHe broke the tie with Afghanistan’s Shafiqullah Shinwari, who has hit six maximums off the first ball that he has faced.
Former India captain Suryakumar Yadav is in third place in this list with five first-ball sixes in T20I cricket.
Here is a list of batters with most first-ball sixes in T20I cricket…
7 – Abhishek Sharma (India)
6 – Shafiqullah Shinwari (Afghanistan)
5 – Suryakumar Yadav (India)
4 – Paul Stirling (Ireland)
4 – Colin Munro (New Zealand)
4 – Mohammad Naveed (UAE)
WATCH Abhishek Sharma smash first ball of Matt Henry for six in 1st T20I vs New Zealand HERE…
ABHISHEK SHARMA AND HIS FIRST BALL SIX IS NEVER ENDING STORY
#INDvsNZ https://t.co/N9MnkFHzz2— OJASS GAMBHEERA (@vigneshchowzz) October 22, 2026
But Abhishek Sharma didn’t stop there as he smashed Adam Milne for back-to-back sixes in the sixth over the inningsHe was finally dismissed for 29 off 12 balls with three sixes and 2 fours off the bowling of Michael Bracewell.
He put on 93 runs for the opening wicket with Sanju Samson, who raced to his fifty off 23 balls at the other end with three sixes and 7 foursThanks to their opening partnership, Indians managed to put on 94 runs in the Powerplay overs for the loss of one wicketIt was India’s joined third-highest total in the first six over of T20I match.
Samson was finally dismissed for a blazing 67 off 33 balls with four sixes and eight fours by New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner as Indians lost their second wicket for 115 runs in 9 oversAbhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson put on their fifth fifty-plus partnership in T20I cricket in 2026.
It was joint most by Indian openers in T20I cricket in a calendar year with KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma achieving this feat in 2021 and Abhishek Sharma also claiming this landmark with Shubman Gill in 2025.
