Abhishek Sharma’s rise in T20 internationals shows no signs of slowing as he continues to establish himself as one of the most destructive batters in the format. His fearless mindset at the crease sets him apart, with little concern for failure and a clear intent to dominate bowlers from the very first ball. That aggressive approach makes him a constant threat and keeps opposition attacks under pressure throughout his innings.
The left-hander underlined his growing stature with a stunning 14-ball half-century against New Zealand in Guwahati, a knock that highlighted both his immense potential and the backing he enjoys from the team management to play with complete freedom. Abhishek’s ability to combine power with confidence has added a new edge to India’s T20 setup. While he fell short of matching mentor Yuvraj Singh’s record 12-ball fifty, the innings reinforced his reputation as a game-changer in the shortest format.
Former India batter S Badrinath highlighted Yuvraj’s influence on Abhishek Sharma, explaining how the former all-rounder’s guidance has brought clarity to his game and helped him fully commit to white-ball cricket, particularly the T20 format.
“Yuvraj Singh may have helped him a lot technically and tactically. But I feel where he has helped the most is bringing clarity to Abhishek Sharma. The most important thing Yuvraj has seemingly told Abhisek is to forget about red-ball cricket. He has probably told Abhishek to focus only on white-ball cricket, especially T20 cricket, which comes naturally to him. No one could have given him better advice than this,” S Badrinath said on Star Sports.
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‘Virat Kohli playing only one format, taking his game to another level’
Badrinath further stressed the value of format-specific focus in modern cricket, noting that players who concentrate on a single format gain greater clarity and consistency, citing Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya as examples.
“In recent cricket, people who are playing only one format are doing exceedingly well. It gives them a lot of clarity on their skill sets. Sometimes when you play multiple formats, the formats get crossed over each other and you get confused. Look at Virat Kohli, he is playing only one format and taking his game to another level. Hardik Pandya is playing only T20 cricket and doing exceedingly well,” he stated.
