Abhishek Sharma top scored for India in the third T20I in Dharamsala with a 35 off 18 balls which helped the Indian team chase down South Africa’s total of 117 in 16 overs. After his fiery start, he earned some praise from former cricketers with Robin Uthappa in particular comparing him to legendary Sri Lankan opener Sanath Jayasuriya.
“Even before the India-South Africa series, Sharma was playing the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and was just gunning teams down. So you knew he was in good form. It’s about spending some time out there, and I think that first ball from Lungi Ngidi really set things up for him. From there, there was no looking back. He understood that they were trying to stifle him with tight lengths on middle and leg stump, but if they erred even slightly, he was there to punish them,” Uthappa said on JioStar.
ALSO READ | India vs South Africa 3rd T20I: Like champion sides, India find different ways to skin an opponent
Then while analysing Sharma’s confidence at the top of the order, Uthappa said: “He’s already hit over 300 sixes in T20 cricket, which tells you what a powerful and dynamic batter he is. In fact, he reminds me of Sanath Jayasuriya—sheer dominance as an opening batter. It instils intimidation and fear in bowlers, something you only see when players are in scorching form. Despite being a youngster, he’s had a prolific year. Teams are planning for him, trying to bowl in areas where he doesn’t score, but he seems to have solutions. That proactive thinking is quite amazing.”
Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.
