Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik has praised Abhishek Sharma for his consistent performances in T20 cricket, describing the left-handed opener as a player who has developed into a major force in world cricket. Karthik highlighted Sharma’s ability to score aggressively against different bowling attacks and perform across varying playing conditions. He noted that the batter’s combination of power, confidence and consistency has made him a significant threat to opposition teams.

Karthik’s remarks followed Sharma’s impressive performance in the third T20 International against the West Indies at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday. Sharma scored 69 runs off just 30 deliveries, striking six fours and five sixes to help India post a total of 223 runs. His aggressive innings provided India with a strong start and demonstrated his ability to put pressure on bowlers during the powerplay.

The innings also marked a significant milestone in Sharma’s international career, as he became the fastest batter to reach 2,000 runs in T20 Internationals in terms of balls faced. He achieved the landmark in 1,024 deliveries, surpassing the previous record held by Suryakumar Yadav. Sharma’s growing record in the shortest international format has strengthened his reputation as one of India’s most influential attacking batters.

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Karthik also pointed to the improvement in Sharma’s decision-making, explaining that the opener has developed the ability to assess conditions before returning to his natural attacking style. His approach against West Indies off-spinner Roston Chase illustrated this change, as Sharma initially took time to understand the pitch before accelerating. Karthik credited former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who has mentored Sharma, for helping him refine his batting approach and learn to pace his innings more effectively.

According to Karthik, maintaining an attacking mindset while delivering consistent performances against strong opponents is one of the most difficult challenges for a T20 batter. He observed that Sharma has increasingly managed to combine risk-taking with regular run-scoring, making him a valuable asset at the top of India’s batting order. Karthik’s assessment reflects the growing expectations surrounding the young opener as he continues to establish himself among the leading players in the format.

India won the third T20I by 14 runs, taking a 2-1 lead in the five-match series against the West Indies. Sharma’s contribution proved important in setting up the victory, while the Indian bowlers defended the total to secure the result. His recent performances have further highlighted his importance to India’s T20 setup, with his ability to deliver explosive starts and adapt to different match situations emerging as key strengths.

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