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Star opener Abhishek Sharma finally paid dividends for India, delivering the fastest fifty of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in the all-important final against New Zealand at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. The left-handed batter, who had struggled through much of the tournament, returned to form, reaching his half-century in just 18 balls.

India got off to a flying start after New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner won the toss and elected to field. The first three balls from Matt Henry were dots, but Sanju Samson wasted no time, sending the fourth delivery over mid-on for a six to get both himself and India off the mark.

Abhishek quickly followed, finding the boundary ropes a couple of times. The opening pair of Abhishek and Samson dismantled the new-ball attack, racing to 92 runs in the powerplay, the highest in the tournament and joint-highest in all T20 World Cups. Abhishek’s fifty came off just 18 deliveries, featuring six boundaries and three sixes. However, he eventually fell for 52, caught by Tim Seifert off Rachin Ravindra in the seventh over.

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Meanwhile, Samson continued at the other end, complementing Abhishek, ensuring India was well above the scoring rate. Ishan Kishan joined in the action soon after, keeping the runs flowing as India reached 137 for 1 in just 11 overs at a strike rate of over 12 per over.

The early onslaught not only established India’s dominance but also laid the psychological groundwork against a New Zealand team that had been formidable in their semi-final demolition of South Africa.