Former India cricketer Ravi Shastri feels that Abhishek Sharma has the ability to terrorize the Australian bowlers in the upcoming five-match T20I series that will commence from October 29. The left-hand batter has been in phenomenal form in the shortest format and played a key role in the Men in Blue's Asia Cup triumph. He finished as the competition's top run-getter with 314 runs under his name and was even named the Player of the Tournament.
Shastri lavished praise on Abhishek's explosive batting approach and remarked that if he stays on the crease for a little long, then he can create chaos for Australia.
"He’s a gun T20 player. If he’s in for a while, there’s guaranteed entertainment. Irrespective of whether you’re Australian or Indian, you’ll enjoy it. He has the ability to take the game away from you. You don’t want him out there too long because he can create chaos," Shastri said on Fox Cricket.
Shastri's take on Abhishek's batting approach
Shastri also pointed out how Abhishek doesn't waste too much time before getting in his groove and goes after the opposing bowlers from the get-go. This makes him quite a dangerous batter, who the bowlers struggle to tackle.
"His preparation, his belief in his own ability, the range of shots that he has, and then the mindset to go out there and back himself from ball one. From the get-go, he’ll go after the bowling. That’s where he can be extremely dangerous, very explosive, and quietly confident about his own ability," Shastri stated.
Abhishek's T20I career so far
Abhishek has so far played 24 matches in the shortest format, scoring a total of 849 runs. He has two centuries and five fifties under his name so far, including an explosive strike-rate of 196.07. The 25-year-old will be aiming to reach the 1000-run mark in T20Is in the upcoming Australia series. The first match of the T20I assignment between the two teams will be played at the Manuka Oval in Canberra.