Former Indian cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara praised Abhishek Sharma for becoming the fastest batter to reach 2,000 runs in T20 Internationals, comparing his prowess in the format to West Indies legend Chris Gayle.
Sharma achieved this milestone by scoring a 30-ball 69 during the second T20I against the West Indies at Indore.
India are scheduled to face the West Indies in the fourth T20I at Hyderabad’s Uppal Stadium on Wednesday. Abhishek has accumulated 110 runs across three matches in the series so far, including the noted 30-ball 69 at Indore. He reached 2,000 T20I runs in just 1,024 balls, setting a new record.
Speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Game Plan’, Pujara remarked: “Nobody thought that he would cross such a big milestone so quickly. But the way Abhishek has performed, I think he is probably one of the best T20 players the Indian team has had so far. His name will be remembered for a long time. When we talk about the T20 format, we immediately think of Chris Gayle from the West Indies. Abhishek has that kind of ability. The way he showed maturity, especially in Indore, by taking a little time, even though five-six balls is a lot of time for him, shows that he is understanding his game a little better, recognising the opposition’s strengths, and batting accordingly. Now, in Hyderabad, he has played a lot on that ground, and that experience and familiarity matter, even in T20s.”
In 65 T20I matches and 64 innings, Abhishek Sharma has scored 2,036 runs at an average of 32.83 with a strike rate of 195.95. His record includes three centuries, 14 fifties and a highest score of 135 not out. His form this year has remained productive, scoring 921 runs in 32 innings at an average of 29.70 and a strike rate of 206.50, including one century and eight fifties. His score of 108 is the fastest T20I century by a batter from a Test-playing nation.
Regarding Ishan Kishan’s performance in the T20 format this year, Pujara stated the left-handed batter is providing “Indian team what they need” at number three. He added that while Kishan may not score large totals every time, he consistently maximises the powerplay overs.
Pujara said: “Coming in at number 3, Ishan Kishan is giving the Indian team what they need. I don’t think you will see a big score every time because everyone in the top order is an explosive player. Their role is only to give the team a good start and to utilise the powerplay to the maximum. So, whenever Ishan Kishan comes out to bat, he has maximised the powerplay, and after that, if you want him to accelerate, he has scored those quickfire 30-40 runs as well. I think that’s good enough. Maybe, for his personal milestones, you might want him to score big runs, but he is doing the job for the team at the moment.”
This year, Ishan Kishan has made a notable comeback in T20Is, scoring 1,122 runs in 32 innings at an average of 38.68 and a strike rate of 170.00. His achievements include one century and seven fifties, with a highest score of 103. He is currently 43 runs short of surpassing Suryakumar Yadav’s record for the most runs by an Indian batter in T20Is during a calendar year.