Australian cricket fans will get their first glimpse of Abhishek Sharma this week – and they should expect some fireworks.
The Indian opener only made his international debut 15 months ago, but he touches down in Australia having already established himself as one of T20 cricket’s most destructive batters.
The 25-year-old, who headlines the next generation of Indian white-ball superstars, has hardly put a foot wrong in the national 20-side since replacing Rohit Sharma at the top of the order in July last year, accumulating 849 runs at an eye-watering strike rate of 196.07. He recently achieved a record rating of 931 in the ICC men’s T20I batting rankings, bettering the previous best of 919 set by England’s Dawid Malan in 2020.
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After hitting his maiden T20I century against Zimbabwe last year, Sharma stunned England in February by clobbering a 54-ball 135 at Wankhede Stadium, making the likes of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood look amateurish.
And during the recent Asia Cup, he was named player of the tournament after smacking 314 runs at 44.85 with a strike rate of 200, helping India win their ninth title.
Although he has already come up against some of Australia’s bowlers in the Indian Premier League, Sharma will play his first match against the men in canary yellow on Wednesday, the T20I series opener in Canberra.
Asked by Fox Cricket what Australian fans should expect from the left-hander during the five-match series, Indian legend Ravi Shastri replied: “Some excitement, some entertainment, because he gives it a smack.
“He’s a gun T20 player. If he’s in for a while, there’s guaranteed entertainment.
“Irrespective of whether you’re Australian or Indian, you’ll enjoy it. He has the ability to take the game away from you. You don’t want him out there too long because he can create chaos.”
India’s Abhishek Sharma. Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFPSource: AFP
Born in Amritsar, Sharma was mentored by former Indian captain Rahul Dravid at Under-19 level before receiving guidance from modern greats Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting during his early years in the IPL. Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh also trained him during the Covid-19 lockdown.
He struggled to crack into the Sunrisers Hyderabad’s first-choice starting XI after making his IPL debut in 2018 aged 17, averaging 17.21 across his first four seasons in the competition with no fifties in 22 appearances.
However, Sharma’s breakout season arrived in 2024 when he opened the batting alongside Australia’s Travis Head, smashing 484 runs at a strike rate of 204.21. The duo were unstoppable at the top of the order, helping the Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers shatter the record for the highest team total in IPL history – 3-287 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore – and qualify for that year’s final.
A national call-up beckoned, with a vacancy opening up following Rohit Sharma’s retirement.
Although Sharma doesn’t possess the power or muscle of other T20 sluggers, he has a repeatable swing arc and loose wrists, allowing him to delay and redirect when attacking fast bowlers. His reaction time is unrivalled.
“His preparation, his belief in his own ability, the range of shots that he has, and then the mindset to go out there and back himself from ball one,” Shastri responded when asked what made Sharma such a threat.
“From the get-go, he’ll go after the bowling. That’s where he can be extremely dangerous, very explosive, and quietly confident about his own ability.”
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma. Photo by Noah SEELAM / AFPSource: AFP
Earlier this month, South African legend AB de Villiers predicted that Sharma would flourish on Australia’s bouncy decks.
“Abhishek Sharma is in the form of his life, some are saying he is the best opening batter in the world right now in this format,” de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
“Will be great to see what he can get over there in Australia. I think he will enjoy the conditions because there’s quite a bit of bounce.
“He likes freeing up his arms over the off-side, opening up the blade, covering the point to third-man boundary, hitting sixes over there. He can also clear up or open up the leg side as well.”
“Fantastic batter to watch.”
Sharma’s T20 success has inevitably prompted speculation of an ODI call-up. During the recent India A series against Australia A, he posted scores of 0 and 22 in the List A matches in Kanpur, dismissed by NSW all-rounder Jack Edwards and Victorian spinner Todd Murphy.
His List A numbers are solid, with four hundreds across 63 matches, but there’s already plenty of competition for spots in India’s ODI team, with the talented Yashasvi Jaiswal carrying drinks during the recent 50-over series against Australia. However, Abhishek will get his opportunity whenever superstars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli decide to hang up the boots.
The first T20 between Australia and India gets underway at Manuka Oval on Wednesday at 7.15pm AEDT.
