Former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri feels Abhishek Sharma will be a player who will draw close attention from opposition teams and the cricket fraternity at the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 due to the scorching
form the top-order batter is in. Abhishek has racked up 1199 runs at a strike rate of 190.92 in the 33 innings he has played in less than 18 months of making his T20I debut.
Shastri commented on the manner in which Abhishek (84 off 35 in the first T20I at VCA Stadium) dismantled the Kiwis in India's recent series-opening clash against New Zealand in Nagpur on January 21. The cricketer-turned-commentator also opined that the Men in Blue will be a force to reckon with whenever Abhishek is striking the ball ferociously.
"Abhishek Sharma, without a shadow of doubt, number one T20 batter in the world and in a rich vein of form. Last evening (in the first T20I), he took the game away from New Zealand. And you've got to watch out for him because his confidence level is high. He'll be backed by the home crowd. And if he takes off, it means India take off," shared Shastri at an event arranged by ICC and Mariott Bonvoy.
Abhishek's recent exploits for India were during their 48-run victory against New Zealand in Nagpur. His belligerent knock comprised five fours and eight sixes. The southpaw looked all set to score to get to his third T20I century. However, he ended up getting dismissed on the final ball of the 12th over of the innings. He later contributed with a couple of catches while fielding, too, earning the Player of the Match award.
A lot of eyeballs will be on the Punjab cricketer, as the Men in Blue will aim to double their lead by winning their encounter against the Kiwis at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. Another high-scoring match can be anticipated to be on the cards, in particular if Abhishek gets India to a fiery start up top. He will also be one of the hot topics at the T20 World Cup.
