Abhishek lauded for thrashing Shaheen in Dubai

• Chopra hails Abhishek Sharma's Afridi thrashing, citing his class.
• Abhishek Sharma's Asia Cup strike rate is 210.34 after beating Pakistan.
• Chopra compares Abhishek's T20 strike rate to Travis Head, near 200.

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has said that Abhishek Sharma’s thrashing of Shaheen Shah Afridi shows the class of the youngster and places him amongst the best T20 batters at the moment, as he went

on to compare his strike rate with some of the big names in the shortest format.

Abhishek smashed 31 runs off just 13 deliveries in India’s seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in their Group A clash in Dubai on Sunday, September 14.

Abhishek had scored 30 runs off 16 deliveries in India’s Asia Cup opener against hosts UAE at the same venue last week.

“He jumped down the pitch and hit Shaheen Shah Afridi on the first ball. After that, he hit him again and then hit another terrific six. He thrashed Afridi. The guy’s name is Abhishek Sharma,” Chopra said while speaking on his YouTube channel.

“He (Abhishek) has not played for long, has scored 30-odd runs in the last two matches, but when he scores, he jolts everyone. He makes the match one-sided in a jiffy. Whether he is chasing 50 or 200, or batting first, he bats in the same fashion and he is absolutely stellar,” Chopra said.

Reflecting on Abhishek’s innings against Pakistan, the former India cricketer highlighted that the former hit Shaheen, whom he was facing for the first time, out of the match.

“Stats are incredible. Hold your breath, he has a strike rate of (nearly) 200. He has hit two centuries, one of which came against England and two half-centuries. He is incredible. He has scored consistently at a strike rate of 200 and we aren’t talking about weak teams,” Chopra said.

“Travis Head is in the second spot. He has played eight games. He has an average of 26 and a strike rate of 194. He has not scored a century and the sample size is half, but Travis Head plays the way he does,” Chopra added.

Abhishek’s strike rate at the Asia Cup is currently a whopping 210.34.