Abhishek Sharma heads into the Asia Cup with numbers that make him one of the most explosive batters in world cricket.
Since October 2023, when he helped guide Punjab to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title, Abhishek has amassed 2,332 runs in 66 T20 matches at an average of 36.43 and a jaw-dropping strike rate of 198.29. His tally includes six centuries, 12 fifties and a highest score of 141.
Mentored by Yuvraj Singh, the 25-year-old southpaw carries shades of his idol with the clean swing, the effortless power, the knack for changing games in a blink. His baby-faced looks bely the ferocity of his batting.
In international colours, in just 17 T20Is, he has scored 535 runs at a strike rate of 193.84, with two centuries and two fifties. His 54-ball 135 against England remains a statement knock.
His mantra is simple: Kill the game in the Powerplay or go down trying.
Inconsistency is the price of such an approach. But when Abhishek is in full flow, launching the white ball deep into the stands, it is a spectacle few in world cricket can match.
Here are some of his noteworthy performances in recent T20 tournaments:
IPL 2025
During the 2025 IPL season, Abhishek started off poorly in the first five matches.
But a destructive 141 in just 55 balls, with 14 fours and 10 sixes against Punjab Kings had fans stunned. After this knock, Abhishek found more consistency, with two more half-centuries and some vital opening cameos.
He ended as Sunrisers Hyderabad's second-highest run-getter and overall 15th-highest run-getter with 439 runs in 14 matches and 13 innings at an average of 33.76 with a strike rate of 193.39, with a century and two half-centuries to his name.
At IPL 2025, Abhishek became the only batter to score over 400 runs in successive IPL seasons with a strike rate exceeding 180.
India vs England, T20Is, 2025
In the five-match series in January this year, Abhishek hammered 279 runs at an average of 55.80 and a gob-smacking strike rate of 219.68.
He scored one half-century and one century in the tournament as he ripped the England attack to shreds.
He hit the second-fastest T20I century (135 off 54 balls) by an Indian batter in the fifth and final match of the series at the Wankhede stadium. All this coming after average performances in the preceding series against South Africa (97 runs in 4 innings) and Bangladesh (35 runs in 3 innings) where he didn't get going.
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024/25
Representing Punjab, Abhishek smacked a 28-ball century to claim the joint-fastest hundred for any Indian. He went on to score 255 runs in seven innings at an average of 42.50, with a best score of an unbeaten 106 and a strike rate of 216.10.
ACC Emerging Teams Cup 2024/25
Playing for India A, Abhishek scored 134 runs in four innings at an average of 33.50 at a strike rate of 203.03, with a half-century to his name and a best score of 58. The team made it to the semi-finals, with his cameo against Pakistan and 50 against the UAE being crucial contributions.
India Tour of Zimbabwe
In July 2024, he made his T20I debut and scored his maiden international hundred in the series.
His maiden T20I century was the joint-third fastest for any Indian (46 balls) in only his second match -- against Zimbabwe in Harare in July 2024. He finished the five-match series with 124 runs at a strike rate of 174.64.
IPL 2024
This marked the point when Abhishek's exploits reached a wider, mainstream audience. His pairing with Australian opener Travis Head was a hit. 'Travi-Shek' broke Powerplay batting records of T20 cricket and redefined the shortest format of the game to a point when scoring even 60-75 runs in the Powerplay looked underwhelming.
Abhishek was the 10th-highest run-getter in the tournament and his team's second-highest, with 484 runs in 16 matches and innings at an average of 32.26 and a strike rate of 204.21, with three half-centuries and a best score of 75 not out.
He hit a total of 42 sixes in the tournament, the highest by an Indian batter in a single IPL.
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023/24
The first high point of Abhishek's career, with 485 runs in 10 matches at an average of 48.50 at a strike rate of 192.50, with two centuries and three fifties and a best score of 112. He ended as the second-highest run-getter in the tournament, helping Punjab lift the title.