Dinesh Karthik hails Abhishek Sharma as a ‘world superpower opener’

Dinesh Karthik praised Abhishek Sharma for consistently scoring runs across conditions and against different bowling attacks. Calling him a “world superpower opener”, Karthik highlighted his powerplay aggression, adaptability and ability to deliver against strong opponents in important T20 matches.

New Delhi: Former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik heaped praise on star opener Abhishek Sharma for “consistently churning out runs” in different conditions and against different bowling attacks as he has “blossomed into a world superpower opener”.

Abhishek smashed 69 from 30 balls during the third T20I against the West Indies on Sunday at the Holkar Stadium, Indore, to lay the foundation for India making 223 in the end.

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During the outing, he also completed his 2000 T20I runs and became the fastest batter to get to the milestone in terms of balls taken. Abhishek, who has been guided by legendary Yuvraj Singh, has runs across nations and across opponents, making him a batter which the teams target early.

Speaking on Abhishek’s rise, Karthik praised the consistency of the batter and hailed him for becoming a ‘world superpower opener’. “He’s guided by someone who’s shown for a long, long time how efficient you can be, even though he’s someone who is so good with striking a cricket ball. Abhishek Sharma is learning from the best, and you can see how he’s able to pace in innings,” Karthik said on Crucbuzz, referring to Abhishek learning from Yuvraj.

“He knows the powerplay is an area where you need to try and hit as many boundaries as possible. And he’s found a method in which he’s able to be successful. And across pitches, across destinations in the world, he’s able to go out there and constantly put the bowlers under pressure.

“Now, when you see somebody like Abhishek Sharma walking in as a team, you fear it, you know, that’s the wicket we need early. Because if you don’t get that early, it’s going for runs. So I’ve enjoyed how he’s blossomed into this world superpower as an opener,” Karthik added.

The former India cricketer and RCB batting coach highlighted that the opener is able to get runs against big opponents and in big matches consistently, which has made him to be rated among the best.

“But what is even more rewarding for someone like Abhishek Sharma is the fact that he’s able to churn those runs against big opposition, big games and also bring consistency to it, which is probably the toughest aspect up until now for good T20 cricketers: how do you bring that attacking instinct out there every day, but also be willing to take risks and almost score every two or three games. And he’s doing it. That’s why he’s rated as one of the best players in the world,” he said.

Karthik also highlighted that Abhishek took his time against off-spinner Roston Chase earlier in the innings before going all guns blazing. “He is quite the destructive batter. But what he’s also added is a little bit of nous. If you see the way he played Roston Chase, the name that you just said, first couple of balls, he just knocked it and just tried to say, okay, what’s the pitch doing? And then he went bang bang.

“So he’s got the skills, he’s got the shots. And now he’s become a consistent churner of runs at that strike rate, which is what makes him so special. If he’s in the top five rankings of T20 batting for some time now, it’s purely because of how much he’s willing to take risks, but also be consistent doing that, which is what sets him apart from some of the other players in the world,” the former India batter said.