Abhishek Sharma, India’s X-Factor at the top, faces Asia Cup challenge

Abhishek Sharma, at the age of 25, will enter his first multi-team tournament as an India cricketer while ranked number one in T20I cricket. It is a tag that no former India batsman has had attached to his name when in the same situation.

It is nerve-tingling to think where Abhishek could go as a T20 batsman. He possesses rare hand-eye coordination that, allayed with tremendous power, make him the prototype of the aggressive T20 opener. His route to the Indian cricket team was not smooth, but he ticked all the right boxes under the guidance of another powerful left-handed batsman from Punjab, Yuvraj Singh. 

Runs in domestic cricket followed by two solid seasons for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL earned Abhishek a place in India’s T20I squad in 2024. A duck on debut in Zimbabwe was followed by a century off 46 balls – the joint third fastest for India in men’s T20Is – and it came as Abhishek became the first Indian to raise three figures with three sixes in a row. 

Seven scores under 20 followed, but the selectors and team management under Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir backed him, and their patience was duly rewarded. In his last seven innings, Abhishek has hit 365 runs at a strike-rate of 214.70, with one century and two fifties. 

That century was an utterly audacious 37-ball innings against England in Mumbai, which stands as the second fastest by an Indian. The potential in Abhishek is immense, even if he tends to be inconsistent. And that’s largely because he takes risks, hits the ball in the air, and looks to boss the Powerplay – all factors in top-ranked India’s success since Suryakumar Yadav took over the captaincy. 

During this year’s IPL, Abhishek was far from his destructive best yet finished with 439 runs at a strike-rate of 193.39. 

It won’t be easy in the UAE, where conditions will be tougher than at the IPL. There will be plenty of spinners lining up to bowl at Abhishek, given the nature of surfaces expected at the Asia Cup. For an opener from whom India expect strong stuff during the Powerplay, getting past the spinners will be a challenge, but one that Abhishek should be up for. 

The big question is, however: who will open with him? Sanju Samson has been his longest partner in T20Is, but now with Shubman Gill back in the T20I squad, that too as vice-captain, it looks like he will resume at the top or the batting order. Gill and Abhishek know each other from domestic cricket playing for Punjab, and the two featured in five T20Is together in Zimbabwe. 

With a T20 World Cup looming in early 2026, the Asia Cup marks the rundown for India to the big prize. Abhishek’s success and ranking in T20I cricket mean that he will not be discarded any time soon, even if he remains inconsistent. He has earned his spot at the top of the order for India, and all signs are that he can dominate in his first major tournament. 

The belief that comes with the captain, coach and team staff backing you can make a cricketer do wonders. Keep your eye on Abhishek over the next few weeks at the Asia Cup. Exciting times beckon.