India opener Abhishek Sharma’s brief pre-batting routine has again drawn attention, after he produced a record-setting knock against New Zealand in the third T20I in Guwahati on Sunday.Just before walking out to bat, Sharma was seen knocking the ball with his bat and then flicking it between his hands, keeping his eyes fixed on it. The sequence, repeated before recent innings, went viral again on social media after his latest performance.

Sharma then entered the record books by scoring the second-fastest T20I half-century by an Indian. He reached his fifty in 14 balls. Only Yuvraj Singh has scored a faster T20I fifty for India, reaching the mark in 12 balls against England during the 2007 T20 World Cup.With this innings, Sharma also went past India captain Suryakumar Yadav for the most T20I fifties by an Indian in 25 balls or fewer. Sharma now has nine such fifties, while Yadav has eight.Sharma also completed 1,200 T20I runs during the knock. He reached the milestone in 36 innings. He scored 68 off 20 balls, hitting seven fours and five sixes, striking at 340.His innings, along with Suryakumar Yadav’s 57 off 26 balls, helped India chase down 154 in 10 overs for an eight-wicket win. India also sealed the five-match T20I series, winning the first three games.Sharma’s output at the top of the order has stood out for both volume and scoring rate. Within a year and a half of his T20I debut, he has climbed to the top of the T20I batting rankings.As the runs continue to come, Sharma’s short routine before batting has become a point of discussion again, linking preparation with performance at the highest level.