The legendary Ricky Ponting has tipped India opener Abhishek Sharma to be a potential match-winner at the upcoming T20 World Cup, describing him as a "star" who could even emerge as the tournament's leading run-scorer.
India vs New Zealand, 3rd T20, Guwahati: Abhishek blitz hands India series win
At just 24, Abhishek Sharma has begun rewriting records that took years for others to set.
Abhishek Sharma's pyrotechnics followed a now familiar script with India out-batting New Zealand by 48 runs in the opening T20 International in Nagpur on Wednesday.
Chamara Kapugedera hails Sri Lanka hosting the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup clash in Colombo, backs India to have slight edge and calls Abhishek Sharma a potential game-changer.
'...He'll provide us a good challenge...I think you want to be challenged against the best players in the world...'
As his sister tied the knot, Abhishek was donning India's colours, sweating it out on the field.
Abhishek Sharma shone with both bat and ball as Punjab hammered Puducherry by 54 runs in a Group C encounter of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy , in Hyderabad, on Thursday.
Sunrisers Hyderabad's Abhishek Sharma says his good off-field bond with Australian opener Travis Head had translated into a successful partnership at the top of the order.
'From an Indian perspective, Varun Chakravarthy is the bowler of the year for me.'
Abhishek encountered problems whenever the length was marginally shortened, but the way he used his feet was pure joy to watch.
India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak indicated that Jasprit Bumrah is unlikely to be rested for the final Group A match against the Netherlands, despite India having already qualified for the Super 8 stage.
India's cricket team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, is focusing on Pakistan's spin bowler Usman Tariq and his unorthodox bowling action during practice sessions in preparation for their T20 World Cup match.
Jasprit Bumrah missed India's opening T20 World Cup match against USA because of illness.
Abhishek Sharma is the first-ever Indian batter to reach the 100-six milestone in T20 cricket overall in a calendar year.
Abhishek Sharma had gone about scoring runs meticulously and the game turned following his dismissal.
Mentor Yuvraj Singh was very happy when I got out for duck, he must be proud now: Abhishek Sharma
Yuvraj Singh has been coaching the Punjab left-hander for years, grooming him into one of the best batters in T20 cricket.
Shivam Dube's explosive innings helped India recover from a slow start against the Netherlands in the T20 World Cup, after the top order struggled against Aryan Dutt's spin bowling.
Ishan Kishan displayed the menacing form he has shown of late in the India nets on Wednesday until being hit by a sharp Jasprit Bumrah yorker.
'His preparation, his belief in his own ability, the range of shots that he has, and then the mindset to go out there and back himself from ball one.'
India captain Suryakumar Yadav on Wednesday climbed five places to seventh in the ICC men's T20I rankings
Hardik Pandya's dazzling performance with both bat and ball powered Baroda to an emphatic 149-run victory against Chandigarh.
With Abhishek Sharma hospitalised with a stomach bug, Sanju Samson is set to get another opportunity at the top of the order.
Madhya Pradesh sealed a 47-run victory over Kerala in their Group A Vijay Hazare Trophy clash on Monday, but the win did little to mask Venkatesh Iyer's continuing struggles with the bat.
India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate highlights the team's challenges against finger spin and the predictability of their left-handed top order as they prepare for the T20 World Cup Super 8s.
Spinner Matthew Kuhnemann hopes Australia's bowlers will curb the fireworks from India's batting star Abhishek Sharma in the fourth T20I on Thursday.
The Namibia match could be a God-sent opportunity for an out-of-form Sanju Samson to get into run-scoring mode after a string of failures that saw him lose his place to Ishan Kishan, who is going through a purple patch.
'You won't find anyone else like Hardik Pandya.'
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has said it not going to be easy for Pakistan to defeat India in their ICC T20 World Cup group match come February 15.
New faces with big dreams. These players are set to step onto the T20 World Cup stage for the first time.
India appear well set for T20 World Cup title defence, feels former India captain Sunil Gavaskar.
'I think he is going to carry Yuvraj's legacy forward. He is a phenomenal talent.'
Walking in with the run rate climbing, Shivam Dube launched a stunning counterattack that briefly swung the momentum in India's favour.
Abhishek a match-winner, an important wicket for us: Aiden Markram
Fans gather in huge numbers at Colombo's R Premadasa Stadium ahead of the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 clash, with confidence and emotions running high on both sides.
'Abhishek played a very good innings. He will score a century in some other match.'
The destructive Travis Head has called his Sunrisers Hyderabad opening partner Abhishek Sharma an exciting talent for Indian cricket after the duo combined to pummel the Lucknow Super Giants bowling attack in a record IPL chase in Hyderabad.
Former Pakistan pacer Umar Gul terms Hardik Pandya India's biggest threat ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026 clash in Colombo but tips Pakistan to edge the high-pressure contest.
Tariq is different from other spinners but Abhishek can help tackle him: Harbhajan
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