Abhishek Sharma added an unusual record to his name during India’s fifth T20I against England at The Rose Bowl, becoming the player with the most T20I appearances before playing either a Test or an ODI for a Full Member nation.The left-handed opener featured in his 53rd T20I for India on Saturday, overtaking former West Indies spinner Samuel Badree, who had played 52 T20Is without representing his country in the other two international formats.Most T20Is without appearing in other formats (Full Member teams)53 Abhishek Sharma52 Samuel Badree41 Tashinga Musekiwa30 Nuwan Thushara25 Harshal PatelThe landmark, however, came on a disappointing evening for both Abhishek and India as England completed a dominant 4-0 series sweep with a crushing 56-run victory in Southampton.Opening the chase of a daunting 258, Abhishek’s stay lasted only briefly. Jofra Archer dismissed him for three after extracting extra bounce, with the left-hander edging behind to the wicketkeeper.India eventually finished on 201 for 8 despite half-centuries from Ishan Kishan (56) and Tilak Varma (53), falling well short of England’s imposing total.Earlier, Jos Buttler produced one of the finest innings of his T20I career, smashing 131 off just 64 balls, while Harry Brook remained unbeaten on 95. Their mammoth 233-run partnership for the second wicket became the fourth-highest stand in T20I history and powered England to 257 for 3.India’s bowlers struggled throughout the innings, while a sloppy fielding display only compounded their problems. Buttler was handed a crucial reprieve after being dropped by Axar Patel, while Brook survived two dropped catches before making India pay.The defeat also had significant consequences beyond the series scoreline. England replaced India at the top of the ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings, while Shreyas Iyer‘s side slumped to a sixth consecutive defeat in the format after an earlier 2-0 series loss to Ireland.Although Abhishek’s record highlights his growing presence in India’s T20I setup, the opener is still awaiting his maiden appearance in either ODI or Test cricket, making his latest milestone one of the most unusual in international cricket.
