Aakash Chopra Heaps Praise On Abhishek Sharma: Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has praised Indian Cricket Team opener Abhishek Sharma for his splendid inning against England in the first of five T20Is between the two sides. Chopra also compares the young opener to India’s Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma in his prime.
Sharma has been a part of India’s T20I set-up for some time now. After India’s triumph in the 2024 T20 World Cup, Rohit, along with Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, retired from the format, making a place for someone like Abhishek to be a regular in the format in the national side.
Since then, the 24-year-old, while not being regular, has shown flashes of brilliance that brought him to the dance in the first place. The most recent showcase of his sheer talents came in the first of the ongoing five-match T20I series against the Three Lions.
Check Out: Aakash Chopra Heaps Praise On Abhishek Sharma
The first T20 played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata saw the Men in Blue restrict England for just 132 runs in 20 overs. What followed was the Abhishek Sharma show. Attacking right from the get-go, the Punjab-based all-rounder took on the English bowlers, scoring 79 runs off 34 deliveries before getting dismissed. It was his inning that helped India chase the target down within 13 overs.
Sharma made his way to the national team after a breakout season in the IPL in 2024. A regular opener for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the league, he scored 484 runs in 16 matches at an average of 32.27 and an unbelievable strike rate of 204.22.
Aakash Chopra Heaps Praise On Abhishek Sharma
For his ability to attack and slog, Abhishek has been compared to former Indian openers with a fiery streak, like Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma. A comparison like this was made by Aakash Chopra following the recent match against England.
Chopra recently reviewed the India vs England 1st T20I in a video on his YouTube channel. In the video, he not only praised the young Indian batter but compared him to peak Rohit Sharma, who was arguably the most attacking batter in the world once upon a time. He said,
“Abhishek Sharma—we believe in karma; we believe in Sharma. We used to say that for Rohit. It’s too early to say the same thing for Abhishek, but he has done the Abhishek (made a great start). I thought it was an important innings.”
Aakash also pointed out that Abhishek Sharma scored all those runs under pressure, the pressure of Yashasvi Jaiswal waiting in the wings for a place in the T20I side.
“Abhishek Sharma was under pressure because he had been playing but hadn’t scored too many runs. This team’s template is to hit fours and sixes and maximise the powerplay, but if you get out three times, they only drop you. They could have looked at Yashasvi. He could have played this series and nobody would have raised an eyebrow or batted an eyelid,” said Aakash.
India did win their first T20I against England. Following the remaining two matches, the Indian Cricket Team has the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 to look forward to, which will commence in February.
Check Out: Aakash Chopra Heaps Praise On Abhishek Sharma
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