Former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik has praised Abhishek Sharma for his consistency across conditions and against different bowling attacks, saying the left-handed opener has “blossomed into a world superpower opener”.
Abhishek continued his impressive run with a 69-run knock off just 30 balls in the third T20I against the West Indies at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday. His innings laid the foundation for India to post a decent total of 223 runs.
"He's guided by someone who's shown for a long, long time how efficient you can be, even though he's someone who is so good with striking a cricket ball. Abhishek Sharma is learning from the best, and you can see how he's able to pace in innings," Karthik noted on Crucbuzz, referring to Abhishek learning from Yuvraj.
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"He knows the powerplay is an area where you need to try and hit as many boundaries as possible. And he's found a method in which he's able to be successful. And across pitches, across destinations in the world, he's able to go out there and constantly put the bowlers under pressure", Karthik added.
"Now, when you see somebody like Abhishek Sharma walking in as a team, you fear it, you know, that's the wicket we need early. Because if you don't get that early, it's going for runs. So I've enjoyed how he's blossomed into this world superpower as an opener," Karthik elaborated further.
During the knock, Abhishek also completed 2,000 runs in T20Is, becoming the fastest batter to reach the milestone in terms of balls faced.
Guided by former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, Abhishek has delivered runs against different opponents and in different conditions. His consistent performances have also made him a batter opposition teams look to dismiss early.
Dinesh Karthik Praises Abhishek Sharma's Consistency
Speaking about Abhishek's rise, Karthik highlighted the opener's ability to score consistently against strong opponents and in high-pressure matches. He credited this consistency for helping Abhishek establish himself among the best in the format.
"But what is even more rewarding for someone like Abhishek Sharma is the fact that he's able to churn those runs against big opposition, big games and also bring consistency to it, which is probably the toughest aspect up until now for good T20 cricketers: how do you bring that attacking instinct out there every day, but also be willing to take risks and almost score every two or three games. And he's doing it. That's why he's rated as one of the best players in the world," he said.
Karthik also pointed to Abhishek's approach against West Indies off-spinner Roston Chase earlier in the innings. Rather than attacking from the outset, the opener took his time against Chase before shifting gears and going on the attack.
His ability to adapt his approach before accelerating has been a key part of Abhishek's batting.
His latest performance against the West Indies further underlined his ability to make an impact at the top of the order.
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"So he's got the skills, he's got the shots. And now he's become a consistent churner of runs at that strike rate, which is what makes him so special. If he's in the top five rankings of T20 batting for some time now, it's purely because of how much he's willing to take risks, but also be consistent doing that, which is what sets him apart from some of the other players in the world," the former India batter concluded.
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