Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif heaped praise on Abhishek Sharma following his sensational run of form in T20Is. The left-hand batter registered scores of 84 and 68 in the first and third T20I against New Zealand respectively and played a key role in the Men in Blue clinching the series with two matches still left to play. The 25-year-old's knock in the third T20I proved to be brutal for the Kiwi bowling attack as he brought up his half-century in just 14 deliveries and India reached the target of 154 with 10 overs still left to spare.
Kaif compares Abhishek to Gayle
Kaif was left thoroughly impressed with Abhishek's power-hitting and likened it to that of Chris Gayle. He further remarked that explosive batters are generally not able to remain consistent, but the same doesn't apply for Abhishek as he has recorded several big scores for India in the past year.
“Usually, players who play like him are not consistent. I’ve seen many big-name players like this. Chris Gayle, who used to play in a similar way, always going for the big shots. But even Chris Gayle played smart cricket. Gayle also used to play maiden overs. He would play the first over carefully, especially on pitches like Bangalore where there was early help, and then accelerate," Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
According to Kaif, Abhishek has surpassed the template of batters like Gayle and can play explosively from the get-go regardless of the conditions.
“Abhishek Sharma has surpassed that. He doesn’t need to settle his eyes, he attacks straight away. So you can’t praise him enough. Batters like this are usually inconsistent. One good innings, then a few failures. But look at Abhishek’s style. He proves himself in every match. Even if he faces just 12–14 balls, he scores 60–70 runs. That makes him a match-winner. If Abhishek Sharma is on, India are almost certain to win," Kaif added.
Abhishek's performance in NZ T20Is
Meanwhile, Abhishek is currently the second-highest run-getter in the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand with 152 runs from three matches. He has maintained an incredible strike-rate of 271.43 and has asserted dominance over the Kiwi bowlers. With the 2026 T20 World Cup being right around the corner, the left-hand batter will be looking to score big in the remaining two T20Is as well. The fourth match of the series will be held on January 28 at the ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.