Published: Jan 28, 2026, 04:34 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 28, 2026, 04:34 PM (IST)
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has lavished praise on young opener Abhishek Sharma for his explosive performances in the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand. The left-handed batter has been in sensational touch, playing a key role in helping India seal the series with matches still remaining.
Abhishek smashed scores of 84 in the first T20I and 68 in the third match, putting the New Zealand bowlers under immense pressure. His innings in the third T20I was particularly brutal, as he raced to a half-century in just 14 balls, allowing India to chase down 154 with 10 overs to spare.
Kaif was especially impressed with Abhishek’s power-hitting and compared his aggressive style to legendary West Indies batter Chris Gayle. However, Kaif pointed out that while such attacking batters are often inconsistent, Abhishek has shown remarkable reliability.
“Usually, players who play like him are not consistent. I’ve seen many big-name players like this. Chris Gayle, who used to play in a similar way, always going for the big shots. But even Chris Gayle played smart cricket. Gayle also used to play maiden overs. He would play the first over carefully, especially on pitches like Bangalore where there was early help, and then accelerate,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
According to Kaif, Abhishek has taken aggressive batting to another level by attacking bowlers from ball one, irrespective of pitch conditions or match situation.
“Abhishek Sharma has surpassed that. He doesn’t need to settle his eyes, he attacks straight away. So you can’t praise him enough. Batters like this are usually inconsistent. One good innings, then a few failures. But look at Abhishek’s style. He proves himself in every match. Even if he faces just 12-14 balls, he scores 60-70 runs. That makes him a match-winner. If Abhishek Sharma is on, India are almost certain to win,” Kaif added.
Abhishek is currently the second-highest run-scorer in the ongoing T20I series, having scored 152 runs in three matches. He has maintained a stunning strike rate of 271.43, completely dominating the Kiwi bowling attack.
With the T20 World Cup 2026 approaching, the 25-year-old will be keen to continue his red-hot form in the remaining two matches. The fourth T20I will be played on January 28 at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.
