Kevin Pitersen, Irfan Pathan erupt in praise after Abhishek Sharma's one-man show vs Australia at MCG: 'Next Level'
Kevin Pietersen was left highly impressed by Abhishek Sharma’s talent and took to X to shower praise on the young Indian batter.
Abhishek Sharma once again rose to the occasion, crafting a superb half-century in the second T20I against Australia at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. In front of a roaring crowd, the explosive left-hander displayed remarkable composure, holding the innings together even as wickets tumbled at the other end. He reached his fifty in just 23 balls on a challenging surface where most Indian batters struggled against the fiery Australian pacers.
The swashbuckling batter kept smashing the Aussie bowlers from one end while the batters on the other end kept changing. However, India missed the trick of getting Abhishek on strike at regular intervals as he faced only 37 balls, while other batters were finding it tough and wasted a lot of deliveries.
Legendary England cricketer Kevin Pietersen was left highly impressed by Abhishek Sharma’s talent and took to X to shower praise on the young Indian batter.
"Abhishek is seriously NEXT LEVEL," Pietersen wrote on X.
Meanwhile, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan also lavished praise on him for his ferocious knock under pressure, where others struggled to bat.
"Abhishek sharma playing on a different pitch? Brilliant half century," he wrote on X.
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Abhishek Sharma holds fort vs AUS pacers
Abhishek held the fort for India till the 19th over and was dismissed by Nathan Ellis. It was at that stage, when he was looking to smash every bowler to collect quick runs, but missed out on a fullish delivery and got plumb in front of the wicket. He smashed 68 runs, which was embellished with eight fours and two sixes on a tricky surface.
Meanwhile, Josh Hazlewood produced a masterclass in seam bowling, dismantling India’s top order with his trademark Test-match precision. Operating with relentless accuracy, he dismissed Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, and Tilak Varma early, signalling his sharp form ahead of the upcoming Ashes series.
Abhishek did get some good support from Harshit Rana in the middle overs, which helped India cross the 100-run mark. Rana batted smartly to contribute a 33-ball 35 while adding 56 runs for the sixth wicket with Abhishek after India were reeling at 49 for five in the eighth over.
