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Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan lavished praise on Abhishek Sharma's rise in the shortest format of the game ahead of the five-match T20I series against South Africa. Abhishek, who is a natural attacker and currently sits at the top of the ICC T20I batting rankings.
Irfan Pathan on SA's bowling strategy vs Abhishek Sharma
Ahead of Abhishek's upcoming assignment against South Africa, Irfan Pathan pointed out that tougher tests await him against quality bowling attacks, with opposition teams likely to target him aggressively from the very first ball.
"The flow with which he is batting, the strike rate with which he is batting like at 190-200, and averages close to 40, you won't find any other batter who is this consistent while playing in this style. South Africa might look to bowl outside off stump, or they might even go for the short ball in the first or the second ball of the innings itself. We have to see how Abhishek Sharma counters this." Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
Irfan Pathan's optimistic take on Abhishek Sharma
Irfan Pathan is optimistic about Abhishek Sharma's growth. He believes that any new strategies South Africa tries against the left-hander will only help him improve further. According to him, facing both challenges and supportive conditions will make Abhishek even stronger and more consistent in his already impressive form.
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"If something is being tried against Abhishek Sharma, that is better, because it will be an opportunity for Abhishek Sharma to counter that and improve. If South Africa try nothing new against him, then also it is fine, let it continue, he is batting really well anyway." Pathan added.
India vs South Africa T20I series schedule
| Match | Date | Day | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st T20I | December 9 | Tuesday | Cuttack |
| 2nd T20I | December 11 | Thursday | Mullanpur |
| 3rd T20I | December 14 | Sunday | Dharamsala |
| 4th T20I | December 17 | Wednesday | Lucknow |
| 5th T20I | December 19 | Friday | Ahmedabad |
Abhishek Sharma's T20I career
The southpaw played a crucial role for India in the Asia Cup 2025, where he scored 314 runs in seven outings with an exceptional strike rate of 200 and earned the Player of the Tournament. The batter has played 28 T20Is where he scored 1012 runs, including two centuries and six half-centuries, with a highest score of 135 runs.
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