Former IND coach makes bold IPL claim, ranks Abhishek Sharma as greatest Indian opener ahead of Kohli and Rohit

There is no doubt that Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) Abhishek Sharma is doing wonders for the franchise from the past two seasons, but ranking him as the greatest Indian opener ahead of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is a bit of an exaggeration. However, Former India batting Sanjay Bangar coach has a unique opinion on the matter.

Big claim by Sanjay Bangar

In an interaction with ESPNcricinfo, on being asked to blind rank the greatest Indian openers in the history of the competition, the former India player placed Abhishek on the first place followed by Kohli, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir.

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“In terms of the order it will be Abhishek Sharma, then Virat Kohli. At three we have Shubman Gill and KL Rahul at four. Rohit Sharma at five, Shikhar (Dhawan) at six, Viru (Virender Sehwag) at seven and Gambhir at eight," Bangar said.

However, considering the stats Abhishek stands no chance against Virat and Rohit, but Sanjay Banger is entitled to have his personal opinion and it should be respected. The Amritsar-born batter will be seen in action against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in SRH's upcoming IPL 2026 clash on Wednesday, May 6 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

Abhishek Sharma's red-hot form in IPL 2026

The young opener’s overall numbers are nothing short of historic. Currently holding the Orange Cap, Abhishek has amassed 440 runs across ten matches at an elite average of 48.89 and a breathtaking strike rate of 206.57.