Abhishek Sharma is batting like there's no tomorrow for him.
The third T20I against New Zealand was a rare treat for Indian fans. Even though Indian bowling faltered at first, Bhuneshwar Kumar and Prince Yadav took away their entire momentum in the death overs. The score that was projected to be 220-230 earlier was brought down to 198 runs. And after that, the explosive batting from both openers made the Indian fans fall in love with the way the Men in Blue won the series.
Even though both Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi played top-class T20I cricket, it was Sharma who ran away with the spotlight for this game. He scored a century of 35 balls with a whopping 11 sixes across his inning. Courtesy of his match-winning knock, India won the match by chasing the total in only 13 overs. Meanwhile, Sharma got the Player of the Match award for his heroics and Ashwin Anna's respect for his attitude.
R. Ashwin is absolutely in love with Abhishek's aggression
Abhishek Sharma earned his fame through IPL. Much like other batsmen of his generation, his knocks in the T20 league made him a top choice among the selectors. But here's what differentiates him from the other batsmen from his generation. His innings haven't deviated from his IPL performance too far. The type of knocks that he played for Sunrisers Hyderabad are the type of knocks that he plays for India currently.
Referring to that consistency, Indian spinner and bowling legend Ravichandran Ashwin says, "All I can say today is that Abhishek Sharma is the kind of batter who is changing the batting template of the Indian team. I had never seen an Indian opener come in and bat with this kind of strike rate before.
"Sometimes, players bat aggressively in the IPL to get noticed and earn a place in the Indian team. But Abhishek hasn't changed his approach at all. He has no fear of losing his wicket, whether he is playing in the IPL or for India."
Simply playing with aggression is one thing, and playing with cool-headed aggression is another thing altogether. And that's the beauty of Abhishek Sharma's cricket game. His shots reflect the fire in his eyes, but his body language is cool as ice. For now, Sharma is going to become a nightmare for international bowlers with his ability to touch unimaginable strike rates from the very first ball.