6 Indian batsmen who scored half-centuries in 18 or less balls in T20
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6 Indian batsman hits half century in t20i 20 or less balls: Vaibhav Suryavanshi created history by scoring a half century in just 18 balls against Zimbabwe. He became the youngest batsman to score his first half-century in T20 International. With this explosive innings, Vaibhav has equaled the records of KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav. The world record for the fastest half-century for India in T20 is still held in the name of Yuvraj Singh (12 balls), while Abhishek Sharma is also dominating this list with his continuous stormy innings.
6 Indian batsmen who scored half-centuries in 18 or less balls in T20.
New Delhi. T20 cricket itself means fast batting and stormy innings. India has always had an army of dangerous batsmen, who have the power to turn the match as soon as they enter the crease. Now a new and very young name has been added to this list, Vaibhav Suryavanshi. This young star of India hit such fours and sixes against the Zimbabwean bowlers that the pages of the record book had to be rewritten. In the match played against Zimbabwe, Vaibhav scored his half-century in just 18 balls. With this explosive innings he created history. He became the youngest batsman to score his first half-century in T20 International cricket. By completing his fifty in 18 balls, Vaibhav has reached joint sixth place in the list of batsmen who have scored the fastest T20 half-century for India. With this innings, he equaled the great batsmen like KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav.
When it comes to the fastest fifty in T20 International, even today the first name that comes in the mind of every Indian fan is Yuvraj Singh. The storm that Yuvraj created on the Durban pitch on 19 September 2007 is still recorded in the golden pages of cricket history. In that historic match played against England, Yuvraj hit six sixes on six balls of Stuart Broad and completed his half-century in just 12 balls. This is the fastest T20 International half-century not only in India but in the world, which no one has been able to break till date. Yuvraj did not stop here. He scored a fifty in 20 balls in the semi-finals of the 2007 T20 World Cup against Australia and also scored a fifty in 20 balls in 2009 against Sri Lanka.
Abhishek Sharma’s power-packed performance
Young explosive opening batsman Abhishek Sharma has achieved the feat of coming closest to this historical record of Yuvraj. This year, on January 25, 2026, Abhishek surprised everyone by scoring fifty in just 14 balls against New Zealand. Abhishek’s name is very special in this matter, because he holds the record of scoring the most number of half-centuries in 20 or less balls in T20 International. He has achieved the feat of scoring half-centuries against New Zealand in 14 and 18 balls, against England in 17 and twice in 20 balls.
Stormy innings of Shivam Dubey and Hardik Pandya
In this list of Indian batsmen, the name of all-rounder Shivam Dubey is also taken with great respect. Shivam Dubey adopted an aggressive stance against New Zealand on 28 January 2026 and completed his fifty in just 15 balls. Whereas India’s star all-rounder Hardik Pandya had scored a fifty in just 16 balls against South Africa on 19 December 2025.
Special ‘Elite Club’ of 18 balls
This milestone of scoring a half-century in 18 balls has been a favorite of many Indian legends. KL Rahul hit a fifty in 18 balls in the T20 World Cup against Scotland on 5 November 2021. After this, ‘Mr. 360’ Suryakumar Yadav showed his class and scored fifty in 18 balls against South Africa on 2 October 2022. Now Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has also joined this 18-ball elite club along with KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav.
Gambhir and Rohit’s explosive show
If we go a little further in the club of scoring half-centuries in fewer balls, Indian batsmen have had tremendous dominance in 19 and 20 balls also. Former Indian team opener Gautam Gambhir scored a half-century in 19 balls against Sri Lanka on 9 December 2009. After this, in the T20 World Cup 2024, on June 24, 2024, Indian captain Rohit Sharma smashed the Australian bowlers and scored fifty in just 19 balls.
Great contribution of Akshar and Ishan
The name of all-rounder Akshar Patel is also included among the players who have scored a half-century in 20 balls, who achieved this feat against Sri Lanka on 5 January 2023. Whereas young wicketkeeper batsman Ishan Kishan completed his fifty in 20 balls against Namibia on 12 February 2026.
Aggression continues even in the new era
This series of stormy batting, which started with Yuvraj Singh’s 12-ball world record, is today moving ahead proudly on the shoulders of youngsters like Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma. India has an army of dangerous players who have the power to destroy any bowling attack at any time.
About the Author
Kamlesh Rai is currently working as Chief Sub-Editor in News18 India. In his long journalistic journey of more than 17 years, he has created a unique identity with his deep understanding of the nuances of digital media and news.
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