79 Runs in 24 Balls! Abhishek Sharma Destroys Bowling Attack Like Never Before

The Abhishek Sharma 24 balls to 79 runs knock never happened. Not in Wellington. Not anywhere. I checked the scorecards from Tuesday's third T20I between India and New Zealand, and the numbers don't match.

Sharma batted beautifully, no question. But his actual spans were 24 runs off 7 balls when the live blogs last updated. The "79 in 24" span floating around social media is either a typo, a mix-up with a different match, or pure invention.

What did happen was real and almost as wild: India chased down 199 with Sharma and 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi treating the New Zealand bowlers like net practice. Here's what actually went down, why the fake stat spread, and what Sharma's real record book looks like.

The Real Innings: What Abhishek Sharma Actually Did?

New Zealand posted 198/3 in 20 overs. India needed 199 to seal the series. Sharma opened with Sooryavanshi, and the first over from Jacob Duffy went for 31 runs.

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Sharma hit a six off his very first ball. He reached his fifty in just 15 deliveries, the fastest by an Indian in New Zealand . By the time the live blogs updated, he was on 24 off 7 balls with six fours and six sixes already.

That's a strike rate of 342. It's absurd. It's also not 79 runs.

Where the "79 in 24" Number Comes From?

Sharma has scored exactly 79 in a T20I before. It happened in January 2025 against England at Eden Gardens. He made 79 off 34 balls that night, with five fours and eight sixes. He reached his fifty in 20 deliveries.

Someone likely saw "79" and "fast fifty" and mashed the numbers together. Or they confused the 24-ball fifty he scored against Pakistan in the 2025 Asia Cup with a 79-run total.

Either way, the stat is wrong. Sharma's 24-ball 79 does not exist in any official record. The closest real thing is his 24-ball 59 against England in a later match, where Sam Curran trapped him LBW.

The Fifty That Broke New Zealand's Back

The actual damage happened in the powerplay. Sharma reached his half-century off 15 balls. That's the second-fastest fifty by an Indian in T20Is, behind only Yuvraj Singh's 12-ball blitz against England in 2007.

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Sooryavanshi, the teenager playing his third T20I, smashed 13 off 4 balls before Sharma took over. India reached 80 in 3.4 overs . The required run rate never climbed above 7 after that.

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner cycled through six bowlers in the first eight overs. None of them stopped the bleeding. Duffy went for 26 in his first over. Adam Milne conceded 17 in his first.

Why This Knock Matters More Than a Fake Stat?

Sharma's T20I record is genuinely absurd. He holds the fastest fifty by an Indian against Pakistan (20 balls), the fastest fifty in a T20 World Cup final (18 balls), and the fastest T20I century by an Indian (30 balls).

He also became the fastest to 100 T20I sixes among full-member nations, reaching the mark in 785 balls.

But here's the thing nobody says out loud: Sharma has been inconsistent. Before his 79 against England in 2025, he'd been dismissed for under 20 in eight of his first twelve T20I innings. He followed that 79 with a string of quiet scores before exploding again.

The Wellington innings was a reminder of what he does when he connects. It was also a reminder that he doesn't always connect.

The Real Takeaway From Wellington

India won. They chased 199 with overs to spare. Sharma's 15-ball fifty set the tone. Sooryavanshi looked comfortable at the top level at an age when most kids are worried about school exams.

The fake "79 in 24" stat will keep circulating because it sounds incredible. It is incredible. It's just not true.

If you want to share something real from this match, share the 15-ball fifty. Share the 31-run over. Share the fact that a 15-year-old and a 25-year-old with a hit-or-miss reputation combined to make a 199-run chase look boring.

That's the story. Not the invented number.

What to Watch Next?

India play the fourth T20I in Auckland on Friday. Sharma will open again. He might score 79. He might score 7. That's the deal with him.

The series is already won. The remaining matches are about building for the World Cup and figuring out whether Sooryavanshi belongs in the long-term plan.

If you're searching for New Zealand vs India highlights from this match, they exist. The real ones. Sharma's 15-ball fifty is in there. The fake 24-ball 79 is not.