India’s ravishing T20I opener Abhishek Sharma has scripted his name into the history books by becoming the fastest to go past the 1000-run landmark in the shortest format of the game, taking only 528 balls to do so. The attacking left-handed batter not only was the quickest to reach the landmark, but in the process, he also went past the likes of Phil Salt, Suryakumar Yadav, and Glenn Maxwell — all of whom are among the modern day masters of 20-over internationals.
Abhishek Sharma achieved this feat during the fifth T20I of the ongoing series between Australia and India at the Gabba in Brisbane.
Before the start of this encounter, Abhishek had garnered 989 runs off just 27 innings, including two centuries and six half-centuries, maintaining a pretty impressive record. With this feat, he broke the one set by his captain Suryakumar Yadav, who had achieved the milestone off 573 balls in his T20I career.
England’s Phil Salt had scored the 1000th run of his career on his 599th ball in the shortest format of international cricket. The fourth fastest on the list is Australia’s seasoned campaigner Glenn Maxwell. The Australian batting all-rounder had taken 604 balls for 1000 runs. The fifth place on the list is jointly held by Finn Allen of New Zealand and Andre Russell of the West Indies. Both of them had taken 609 deliveries for the four-digit milestone.
Fastest to 1000 runs in T20I cricket
| Sr. No. | Player Name | Country | Balls Taken |
| 1 | Abhishek Sharma | India | 528 |
| 2 | Suryakumar Yadav | India | 573 |
| 3 | Phil Salt | England | 599 |
| 4 | Glenn Maxwell | Australia | 604 |
| 5 | Finn Allen | New Zealand | 609 |
| 5 | Andre Russell | West Indies | 609 |
Abhishek is also the No. 1 ranked batter in ICC Men’s T20I Batters Rankings currently. Having made his debut in July 2024 against Zimbabwe, the Punjab-born has risen through the ranks to emerge as a genuine force to be reckoned with in world cricket. His breakout performance came during the 2025 Asia Cup, where he emerged as the Player of the Tournament for his 314 runs off just seven innings.
He will be one of the most key prospects for the Indian team at the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in 2026, which will be played on batting friendly tracks in India and Sri Lanka. However, the Men in Blue will play a handful of T20Is in the lead up to the 20-team tournament, making it a crucial dress rehearsal for the southpaw to prepare himself nicely.
India
