Team India got an emphatic victory in the first match of the 5-match T20 series against New Zealand. With Abhishek Sharma at the top of the batting order, the Men in Blue posted a mammoth score of 238 runs batting first. Former India international Kris Srikkanth was all praise for Abhishek Sharma, who played another match-winning innings for the team.
Srikkanth said that it was Sharma who made the difference between the two teams in Nagpur. The left-handed batsman completed his half-century in 22 balls and eventually scored 84 runs in just 35 balls. By five limits and eight super-limits. Going a step further, the former cricketer said that there is a huge difference in quality between Sharma and the rest of the Indian batting order.
India got a spectacular victory over New Zealand in the opening match of the 5-match T20 series.
The ongoing 5-match T20I series is coming after the conclusion of the 3-match ODI series, where hosts India lost the encounter to New Zealand 1-2, which did not bode well for Team India ahead of the T20I World Cup 2026, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Last night, it clearly showed that the ODI series defeat did not harm the team’s T20I performance as they won the game by 48 runs, with Abhishek Sharma being the player of the match. Srikkanth said that whenever the rising opener scored notable runs, India won, with stalwarts like Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh also making important contributions to the scorecard.
The former cricketer said on his YouTube channel, “When Abhishek scores more than 50, the team is sure to win. You don’t need anything else. Every time he scores 50, India reaches 200. You can bowl out the opposition in T20 cricket and India have a great batting line-up. Everyone at the top can score; Hardik can score; Rinku can score.”
Srikanth told why Abhishek Sharma is getting success in Twenty-20 format.
Abhishek Sharma has been scoring runs consistently for India since the Asia Cup 2025 tournament. The southpaw has developed himself into one of the most influential batsmen across the globe in this particular format. Srikkanth pointed out that due to proper footwork and intelligent batting, Sharma has become dangerous in the format.
He said, “Abhishek Sharma makes a huge difference. Opening is very important in T20 matches. He doesn’t play through and through; he won’t hit sixes while standing, but he has good reach and he uses his height well. He is playing very intelligent cricket. He is not going for sixes on every ball. There is a huge difference between him and the rest of the Indian cricketers.”
If Abhishek gets out early then there could be trouble – Kris Srikkanth
In the end, the former cricketer said that the batting depth of Team India is excellent. Sharma is also joined by Ishan Kishan, Tilak Verma, Hardik Pandya and many others. But he expressed concern over the recent form of captain Suryakumar Yadav.
“If Abhishek gets out early, there could be trouble. I agree. But don’t forget, Ishan Kishan has not clicked yet. If he gets going, he is another Abhishek. When Tilak comes, he will also score. The advantage is that India are not dependent on one player. Surya is not in full form yet. Hardik is. There are top six guns,” he said.
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