Former Indian wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik has showered praise on Abhishek Sharma after he scored a blistering knock of 75 runs off just 37 balls with a help of six fours and five sixes against Bangladesh in the Super Fours stage of the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 at Dubai on Wednesday.
Ergo, the left-hander continued his rich form and played a key role in helping India post 168 runs on the board after India were put into bat. Bangladesh was bowled out for 127 and India registered a comprehensive 41-run win against the Tigers.
Sharma has been able to hit the ground running in the continental tournament and he is playing at a different level altogether.
Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz, “He is just turning out to be a very strong opener. Somebody who is very trustworthy at this point of time. The fact that he is able to get runs on different pitches. He is very resilient and able to adapt to different conditions. To be fair, he is batting on a different celestial plane altogether.”
Karthik praised Abhishek Sharma for taking the attack to the opposition in the Powerplay overs.
“The trend was slowly getting there, where you needed to really press and push on as an opener, to make use of those six overs in the powerplay. What he’s done phenomenally well, is his skill of his hitting sixes. Whenever he got the opportunity, he said he practised in big grounds with his dad, so hitting sixes in smaller grounds became very comfortable. The confidence with which he is hitting sixes sets him apart. There are players who find gaps and those who are sure of hitting the ball outside the boundary line and that he is right now. He is an extremely special asset to have,” he added.
The former Indian batter said Abhishek is keeping big names Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Sai Sudharsan away from selection.
“At this point in time in team India, the toughest to play would probably be the T20 format. That position where he is in is probably the toughest because everybody who is somebody playing this format is good at that spot. He is keeping out the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Sai Sudharsan. For him to reach a level where he is almost unanimously number one tells you the level that he has gone to. He is playing match-winning knocks consistently and still maintaining that high tempo,” he said.
India will take on Sri Lanka at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on Friday.
