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Shane Watson marvels at Abhishek Sharma’s evolution and fearless batting: 'He is an absolute treat to watch'
Shane Watson praised Abhishek Sharma's fearless yet adaptable batting, calling him a joy to watch and highlighting his skill to perform in any situation.
Legendary Australian all-rounder Shane Watson lavished big praise on India's opening batter Abhishek Sharma for his ferocious show with the bat in the shortest format. Abhishek has emerged as India’s most destructive batter over the past year, consistently dominating in T20Is with his fearless stroke play. His stellar performances have now earned him the top position in the ICC T20I batting rankings, cementing his status as one of the most impactful players in white-ball cricket.
He played a major role in India's Asia Cup triumph and has scored 19, 68 and 25 in the three T20I matches so far against Australia.
Watson praised Abhishek's fearless yet adaptable batting, calling him a joy to watch and highlighting his skill to perform in any situation.
"He is an absolute treat to watch. He's incredibly good, isn't he? He is so fearless, but then he's got the skill to be able to adapt to whatever's required as well," Watson said.
Abhishek Sharma’s entry into international cricket was initially rocky. On his debut tour against Zimbabwe, he managed 125 runs across five matches, albeit with an impressive strike rate of 174.65. He was subsequently omitted for the Sri Lanka tour and struggled in his comeback series at home against Bangladesh, scoring only 35 runs in three games. Despite the setbacks, the team management retained faith in him.
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His breakthrough came during the five-match T20I series against England earlier this year, where he dominated the scoring charts with 279 runs at an average of 55.80 and a blistering strike rate of 219.69. He continued his prolific form during India’s unbeaten run in the Asia Cup, finishing as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 314 runs at 44.86, cementing his status as one of India’s most explosive and reliable batters in limited-overs cricket.
"It's been special to see Abhishek Sharma's evolution…"
The Aussie great further talked about Abhishek's growth over the past few years, praising his evolution from a promising talent at Sunrisers Hyderabad to a powerful, versatile batter capable of excelling in varied conditions against all types of bowlers.
"It's been special to see his evolution over the last two or three years, from when he first came in, got opportunities for Sunrisers Hyderabad. And then seeing him just continue to explode like he has. He's got all the different gears, he's got all the different shots against different bowlers in different conditions as well."
