Abhishek Sharma becomes first Indian opener to score 1000 T20I runs in a calendar year
Abhishek reached 1012 T20I runs for 2026 while India recovered from 70 for 5 to win by four wickets in Christchurch.
Abhishek Sharma scored 27 off 21 balls in the second T20I against New Zealand at Hagley Oval to reach 1012 T20I runs for the calendar year. He became the first Indian opener to achieve the milestone and the third Indian overall after Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan.
India chased 181 to win by four wickets despite slumping to 70 for 5. Tilak Varma remained unbeaten on 51 off 26 balls while Nitish Kumar Reddy scored an unbeaten 26 off 13 balls in a 69-run partnership for the seventh wicket.
Abhishek had earlier urged teammates in a huddle speech to treat New Zealand as opponents rather than friends after India's inconsistent results against West Indies. India lead the five-match series 2-0.
CricHubb Take
Abhishek's calendar-year total matters because it shows sustained output across conditions rather than a single high-scoring series.