Has Abhishek Sharma already become one of the greatest T20 openers of all time? For most, Chris Gayle holds that mantle. Abhishek doesn’t have the longevity that Gayle and other great T20 openers have, but his peak level isn’t far away.
Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif thinks that Abhishek has gone past Gayle in one specific category. While the former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) player holds the record for the highest-ever individual score in T20 cricket, he didn’t race off the blocks like Abhishek.
Abhishek Sharma, the most explosive T20 opener?
Often, Gayle used to play one of two overs of dangerous new ball bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar or Lasith Malinga. But that isn’t the case with Abhishek. For him, all balls need to be deposited over the boundary line. Whether it be the first ball of the match or the last.
“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 goes for the big shots. But even Gayle played smart cricket. Gayle also used to play maiden overs. He would play the first over carefully, especially on pitches like Bengaluru, where there was early help, and then accelerate,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
Abhishek has a strike rate of 195.22 in international cricket. No one with over 1000 runs comes close to him. In T20s as an opener, Abhishek strikes at 176.71. Only Urvil Patel stands ahead of him, at 189.10, but he’s scored 3445 fewer runs than him.
If he survives the powerplay, the match might already be over for the opposition, as he showed New Zealand the other day when he smashed the second-fastest fifty for India.
“Abhishek 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 is on, India is almost certain to win,” Kaif added.
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