The Melbourne Cricket Ground pitch tested every Indian batter in the second T20I against Australia, but Abhishek Sharma once again stood tall. While wickets tumbled around him, the young opener showed remarkable composure and strokeplay to score a fluent half-century, the lone bright spot in India’s four-wicket defeat. After the match, former India spinner R Ashwin showered praise on the left-hander, calling him the next big batting talent in Indian cricket. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin highlighted Abhishek’s natural flair and his willingness to learn from legends.
“I truly believe, man, that the next batting superstar of India is Abhishek Sharma,” Ashwin said. “See, he doesn’t have a problem exactly, not a problem, but a challenge. His challenge is to be able to control that downswing. I was reading somewhere that he still talks to Brian Lara because Lara had a huge backlift. His bat swing was magnificent too, so Abhishek spoke to Lara about controlling that bat swing to be able to play Test cricket.” Ashwin went on to describe how the young Punjab batter is constantly working on improving his technique. “Even that day in Canberra, when the match was washed out, he was talking to Shubman Gill. From his gestures, it looked like he was talking about the bat swing and the pull shot. I even have a screenshot from the last game; he was a bit late on the pull shot then. But in this game, he made that correction. He found a way to get it over the top,” Ashwin noted. He also praised Abhishek’s ability to adapt to tough conditions against quality bowling. “He actually stepped out today, charged down the track, and Australia bowled really well too. They were bowling tight lines, fuller lengths, taking the pace off. But that full ball, especially when you charge at a fast bowler and they try to bowl a yorker, you don’t have width to free your arms. Yet, he was still able to open up his arms and hit it over covers for a boundary.” Ashwin concluded by calling Abhishek a rare talent blessed with both skill and cricketing intelligence. “These are all very special abilities that a player possesses. I always say, we all work hard, but to make that hard work shine, you need a little gift, that God-given gift. Abhishek Sharma has that gift. He has the mind to think deeply about the game, and he is just an exceptionally talented batter. On a tough pitch and a tough day for India, once again, he gave us a beautiful exhibition of what good batsmanship in T20 cricket looks like.”
