Cementing a temporary spot as his own, the Abhishek Sharma way

India's historic victory in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 set up a string of transformations in the squad for the shorter format of the game. Skipper Rohit Sharma and his senior ally, Virat Kohli, hung up their boots in the format, along with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Moreover, the tenure of Rahul Dravid as the head coach came to a commendable conclusion as India clinched an ICC trophy after a gruelling wait of over a decade. The respective exits made way for the younger lot to vie for the available spots in the team as former player Gautam Gambhir took over as the head coach. Gambhir, with the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee, earmarked Suryakumar Yadav as the next skipper of India in T20Is. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill claimed the white-ball vice-captaincy as he cemented his spot as the primary opener. Moreover, Yashasvi Jaiswal, on the back of blazing knocks in his short career, emerged as his opening partner. However, as it stands now, one of these batters will need to vacate the spot for the new star on the scene, Abhishek Sharma.

Abhishek Sharma emerges as a promising opening prospect for India in T20Is

Abhishek Sharma made his way into the Indian T20I set-up on the back of a notable batting display in IPL 2024 as the opener for Sunrisers Hyderabad. In the season where Hyderabad ended up as the runner-up, Abhishek smashed 484 runs across 16 innings at a blinding strike rate of 204.21. As a result, the Punjab pick earned the Indian call-up for the India Tour of Zimbabwe in the same year. While he opened his international career with a duck, Abhishek announced his arrival with a century in the second match at Harare.

With both Jaiswal and Gill available in Zimbabwe, Abhishek batted at the third position in two T20Is of the five-match series. However, as the primary openers shifted their focus to the Test season, Abhishek claimed the opening position in the team along with Sanju Samson. The home series against Bangladesh saw the youngster blow hot and cold, with his form in the IPL appearing as a shell of the batter. Moreover, his outing in South Africa saw the batter facing scrutiny over his consistency as he managed a single half-century in the four-match series.

With his less-than-impressive knocks in the Bangladesh and South Africa series, it was predicted that his days with the team were numbered. In the absence of a commanding performance other than his century in Zimbabwe, Abhishek looked poised to lose his spot once Gill and Jaiswal wrapped up their commitments in the longer formats. However, the 2025 season opened up with Abhishek returning to form, even enhancing it as he took England by storm in the five-match T20I series at home. The batter smashed 79 runs off just 34 deliveries in the first T20I of the series at Eden Gardens.

The India vs England series concluded similarly to the way it opened, with Abhishek Sharma starring in both shows. Across the five matches, Abhishek consistently clocked a strike rate over 150, delivering seamlessly to Gambhir's ask of an aggressive batting show. In the final India vs England match at Wankhede, the young all-rounder smashed a plethora of records to announce his ability as a regular opener for the Indian team in the format. Clocking in his second century in just 37 deliveries, Sharma batted throughout the innings to smash 137 runs at a strike rate of 250. As wickets kept falling at the other end, Sharma slowed down towards the end of the innings and still managed to keep the final strike rate beyond the 250 mark.

With his historic knock, the 24-year-old player recorded the highest individual score for India in T20Is, surpassing Shubman Gill, who scored 126 against New Zealand. Moreover, as he hit the England seamers Jofra Archer and Mark Wood all over Wankhede, Abhishek claimed the title of hitting the most sixes for India in a T20I inning. As if his slaughter with the bat was not enough, the all-rounder scalped two wickets when England's turn to chase the mammoth total of 248 came. On the evening that was all his, Abhishek also became the first Indian player to score a ton and take a wicket in the same match.

A player that fires from all departments is a highly valued asset in the game of cricket. Abhishek Sharma in Mumbai noted a fitting credential as the said player. India's head coach, Gautam Gambhir, hailed the all-rounder for his turn-up that took England and Wankhede by storm. With India winning the series 4-1, Abhishek emerged as the key player for the hosts. His heroics earned Gambhir's praise as the coach vowed to back players like him.

“I haven't seen a better T20 hundred against bowlers who are bowling at 140-150 kph consistently,” Gambhir said. “We are going to do this going forward, got to play fearless cricket. We want to keep backing players like Abhishek Sharma. We have to be patient with these boys. Most of these boys believe in the ideology of playing fearless cricket,” he added.

With the ICC Champions Trophy lined up ahead, India's next T20I assignment is scheduled as late as August this year. While the IPL 2025 lies in between, Abhishek Sharma is sure to be a part of India's plan when the next phase kicks in. Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see where the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill fit in when they return to the shorter format.