India's next generation of cricketers bounced back from an early setback in the five-match T20 series in Zimbabwe, registering a 100-run win to level the contest in Harare on Sunday.
The second string Indian team were handed a jolt on Saturday as the hosts successfully defended 115, dampening the mood in the Indian camp still basking in the success of the senior team's T20 World Cup title success.
India needed to respond quickly within 24 hours and it was Abhishek Sharma who led the way with a record-breaking century in just his second match.
After getting out for a four-ball duck on debut, Abhishek turned his game around as he smashed eight sixes and seven fours en route to 100 off just 47 balls.
Abhishek's century laid the foundation of a massive total of 234-2, which was well beyond the reach of Zimbabwe, who were bowled out for 134. Ruturaj Gaikwad (77 off 47), Rinku Singh (48 from 22), Avesh Khan (3-15) and Ravi Bishnoi (2-11) all made telling contributions in India's victory.
The star of the day, however, was Abhishek who broke a number of records.
Records tumble in Harare
Abhishek took just 46 balls to reach three figures, despite starting fairly slowly on a tough surface and surviving a dropped chance on 27. It was the joint third fastest T20 century by an Indian batsman behind Rohit Sharma (35 balls) and Suryakumar Yadav (45 balls).
Abhishek opened his account, reached his fifty and century by hitting a six. In fact, he reached his century by hitting three consecutive sixes – the first Indian to do so in any format.
Abhishek continued the form he had shown for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League and which had pushed him into the limelight earlier in the year. His breathtaking striking in the IPL had made him an outside chance for a spot in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup, but he missed the cut.
In the IPL, Abhishek formed a lethal opening partnership with Travis Head, taking Hyderabad all the way to the final where they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders.
In the tournament, Abhishek accumulated 484 runs from 16 innings at a strike rate of over 200, smashing 36 fours and 42 sixes. He replicated that form on the international stage as well, hitting more sixes than fours in his maiden T20 ton.
Is Abhishek Sharma the next batting star?
The left-handed batsman is seen as the best ball-striker in Indian cricket. And that takes some doing. Mentored by World Cup winner Yuvraj Singh, Abhishek has transformed into a six-hitting machine after stumbling around as a spin bowling all-rounder.
Now that Rohit and Virat Kohli have both retired from T20 Internationals, two spots have opened up at the top of the order and India's team management will back Abhishek to start the innings with another destructive left-handed opener – Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Abhishek is also a handy left-arm spinner, which is a huge plus as recent Indian white-ball teams had almost no player in the top six who could also bowl. Jaiswal bowls leg spin as well, which should make their spots in the team almost guaranteed going forward.
India are in a transition phase with preparations underway for the 2026 T20 World Cup which will be held in India and Sri Lanka. With a century in his second match – on a difficult pitch and after losing the series opener – Abhishek has provided a glimpse into the future of Indian cricket.
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The five pillars of Islam
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The biog
Name: Greg Heinricks
From: Alberta, western Canada
Record fish: 56kg sailfish
Member of: International Game Fish Association
Company: Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters
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RESULTS
5pm: Watha Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 2,000m
Winner: Dalil De Carrere, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Mohamed Daggash (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Miracle Maker, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Pharitz Al Denari, Bernardo Pinheiro, Mahmood Hussain
6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Oss, Jesus Rosales, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: ES Nahawand, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: AF Almajhaz, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
8pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: AF Lewaa, Bernardo Pinheiro, Qaiss Aboud.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Gulf rugby
Who’s won what so far in 2018/19
Western Clubs Champions League: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens: Dubai Hurricanes
West Asia Premiership: Bahrain
What’s left
UAE Conference
March 22, play-offs:
Dubai Hurricanes II v Al Ain Amblers, Jebel Ali Dragons II v Dubai Tigers
March 29, final
UAE Premiership
March 22, play-offs:
Dubai Exiles v Jebel Ali Dragons, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Hurricanes
March 29, final
The years Ramadan fell in May
Fight card
- Aliu Bamidele Lasisi (Nigeria) beat Artid Vamrungauea (Thailand) POINTS
- Julaidah Abdulfatah (Saudi Arabia) beat Martin Kabrhel (Czech Rep) POINTS
- Kem Ljungquist (Denmark) beat Mourad Omar (Egypt) TKO
- Michael Lawal (UK) beat Tamas Kozma (Hungary) KO
- Zuhayr Al Qahtani (Saudi Arabia) beat Mohammed Mahmoud (UK) POINTS
- Darren Surtees (UK) beat Kane Baker (UK) KO
- Chris Eubank Jr (UK) beat JJ McDonagh (Ireland) TKO
- Callum Smith (UK) beat George Groves (UK) KO
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The years Ramadan fell in May
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alaan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Parthi%20Duraisamy%20and%20Karun%20Kurien%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%247%20million%20raised%20in%20total%20%E2%80%94%20%242.5%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20and%20%244.5%20million%20in%20a%20pre-series%20A%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The five pillars of Islam
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE SQUAD
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Mohamed Usman (vice captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Imran Haider, Tahir Mughal, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed, Fahad Nawaz, Abdul Shakoor, Sultan Ahmed, CP Rizwan
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Uefa Nations League: How it Works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
Afro%20salons
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