Abhishek Sharma hits 12-ball fifty for joint third fastest T20 half-century in Syed Mushtaq Ali
Hyderabad (PTI): Abhishek Sharma on Sunday smashed the joint third-fastest half-century and broke his own record for most sixes by an Indian in a T20 innings, blasting an unbeaten 148 in Punjab's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy clash against Bengal here.
His fifty, which came off just 12 deliveries, is also the joint second fastest by an Indian.
The World No 1 T20 batter hammered 16 sixes and eight fours overall, providing a strong platform for his side as he put on a whopping 205 runs inside 13 overs with opener Prabhsimran Singh.
His 16 sixes in an innings is now the joint third highest along with Afghanistan's Hazratullah Zazai and New Zealand's Finn Allen.
Estonia's Indian-origin Sahil Chauhan holds the record of most sixes in a T20 innings (18), which he hit against Cyprus in June 2024.
Abhishek hit a 12-ball fifty to equal the record of his mentor and former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh during the Elite Group C clash played here at the Gymkhana Ground.
Abhishek came out firing against a Bengal pace attack which included India bowlers Mohammed Shami and Akash Deep, as he faced only one dot ball while hitting five sixes and as many fours to make his half-century off 12 balls.
He targeted Bengal bowlers down the ground as well as on the leg side, with most of his sixes coming in front of the square. The record of fastest half-century for any Indian in men's T20 belongs to Ashutosh Sharma, who had recorded it in 11 deliveries for Railways against Himachal Pradesh in their Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy match in 2023-24.
Abhishek thus joins Yuvraj, West Indies' great Chris Gayle, Zazai and Chauhan in scoring half-centuries off 12 deliveries in men’s T20s.
The record of fastest fifty in T20s belongs to Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee, who had completed his in a mere nine balls against Mongolia at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
