Is Abhishek Sharma the next batting star of Indian cricket?

India's next generation of cricketers bounced back from an early setback in the five-match T20 series in Zimbabwe, registering a 100-run win to level the contest in Harare on Sunday.

The second string Indian team were handed a jolt on Saturday as the hosts successfully defended 115, dampening the mood in the Indian camp still basking in the success of the senior team's T20 World Cup title success.

India needed to respond quickly within 24 hours and it was Abhishek Sharma who led the way with a record-breaking century in just his second match.

After getting out for a four-ball duck on debut, Abhishek turned his game around as he smashed eight sixes and seven fours en route to 100 off just 47 balls.

Abhishek's century laid the foundation of a massive total of 234-2, which was well beyond the reach of Zimbabwe, who were bowled out for 134. Ruturaj Gaikwad (77 off 47), Rinku Singh (48 from 22), Avesh Khan (3-15) and Ravi Bishnoi (2-11) all made telling contributions in India's victory.

The star of the day, however, was Abhishek who broke a number of records.

Abhishek took just 46 balls to reach three figures, despite starting fairly slowly on a tough surface and surviving a dropped chance on 27. It was the joint third fastest T20 century by an Indian batsman behind Rohit Sharma (35 balls) and Suryakumar Yadav (45 balls).

Abhishek opened his account, reached his fifty and century by hitting a six. In fact, he reached his century by hitting three consecutive sixes – the first Indian to do so in any format.

Abhishek continued the form he had shown for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League and which had pushed him into the limelight earlier in the year. His breathtaking striking in the IPL had made him an outside