Abhishek Sharma and Josh Hazlewood were probably the only serious players who performed for their respective teams in the second T20I as Australia took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, after the opening game was washed out. Josh Hazlewood was making the Indian top-order's life difficult on a spicy wicket in Melbourne, while in the meantime, Abhishek continued his thunderous run of form from where he left off in the Asia Cup.
Abhishek smashed eight fours and a couple of sixes on way to a well-compiled 68 off just 37 deliveries. India may not have gotten the result they wanted with that knock but the southpaw broke the record for most sixes by a player for a full-member nation in a calendar year in T20Is, getting to 43 maximums for the year. Abhishek surpassed Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan, who had hit 42 sixes in 2021.
Most sixes in T20Is in a year by a player (full-member nation)
43 - Abhishek Sharma (India), in 14 innings (2025)
42 - Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan), in 26 innings (2021)
41 - Martin Guptill (New Zealand), in 18 innings (2021)
37 - Evin Lewis (West Indies), in 18 innings (2021)
36 - Kevin O’Brien (Ireland), in 23 innings (2019)
Overall, Karanbir Singh of Australia holds the record, having hit 122 sixes in T20Is in 2025.
Hazlewood bowled four on the trot and picked up three wickets, destroying the Indian batting line-up in the powerplay and the Men in Blue were always playing catch-up. Abhishek tried his best but was always going to run out of partners. Harshit Rana did well, scoring a run-a-ball 35, but if India had to get anywhere near 140-150, he had to score a little more aggressively, to take the pressure off Abhishek, who didn't get the strike for the longest time before the 18th over.
Abhishek played a couple of late shots to push India's score beyond 120, but 125 wasn't going to be enough. Mitchell Marsh, with a 26-ball 46, killed the chase in the powerplay. India picking up late 3-4 wickets didn't matter as Australia coasted to a four-wicket win.
