Abhishek Sharma on the cusp of breaking Suryakumar Yadav’s unique T20I record

Abhishek Sharma (ANI Photo)

Abhishek Sharma could turn Friday's second T20I against the West Indies into another landmark night in his rapidly evolving international career. The India opener needs just 53 runs to complete 2,000 T20I runs, but the milestone itself is only half the story.If Abhishek gets there quickly enough, he could take down a record currently held by none other than his former captain and one of the most explosive batters in T20 cricket, Suryakumar Yadav.

SKY's 1,164-ball record in sight

Suryakumar holds the world record for reaching 2,000 T20I runs in the fewest balls. He reached the landmark in 1,164 deliveries, surpassing Australia's Aaron Finch, who had taken 1,283 balls.Abhishek currently has 1,947 runs from 997 balls. That means he has 167 balls as a theoretical maximum to score the 53 runs and equal SKY's 1,164-ball mark.But if he wants to break the record, he must get to 2,000 in 1,163 balls or fewer, meaning he has to score those 53 runs within his next 166 balls.

A record tailor-made for Abhishek's approach

Abhishek has built his reputation around an attacking brand of T20 cricket. His current T20I career strike rate stands at a staggering 195.29, with 1,947 runs coming from just 997 deliveries. He has also already smashed 135 sixes and three centuries in the format.

The left-hander has shown just how quickly he can change a game.

Earlier this year, he smashed a T20I century in only 30 balls against Afghanistan, the fastest century by an Indian in the format.So while 53 runs may sound like a modest target, the real question on Friday will be: how quickly can he get there?

West Indies stand in the way

Abhishek made a brisk start in the series opener in Lucknow, scoring 21 off 10 balls before Roston Chase dismissed him. India went on to win by eight wickets, with Shreyas Iyer smashing an unbeaten 102 off 43 balls to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.Now, with Ranchi hosting the second T20I, Abhishek has the chance to turn a personal milestone into a piece of T20I history.