Abhishek Sharma is the number one ranked T20I batter in the world, and the rankings didn’t lie today in the Asia Cup 2025 clash against Pakistan in Dubai as the left-hander played an explosive cameo, smashing 31 off just 13 balls. 128 was all India needed to chase after restricting Pakistan to 127/9, and Abhishek Sharma made a statement in the very first over of the chase, smashing the first two balls bowled by Shaheen Afridi for four and six respectively.
He collected another six and three more fours in his next 11 balls, before perishing trying to take on Saim Ayub. The left-hander finished with a strike rate of 238.46.
This was a typical Abhishek Sharma cameo that the world has been used to; still, it turned out to be a ‘one of a kind knock’ in the bigger context.For this was the fastest ever knock played by an Indian against Pakistan in T20Is, with the left-hander breaking the previous record set by Yuvraj Singh, his mentor, in Ahmedabad in 2012. On that night, Yuvraj had batted at a strike rate of 200.00, scoring 72 off 36 balls.
Highest SR for India against Pakistan in a T20I innings
238 – Abhishek Sharma, Dubai, 2025*
200 – Yuvraj Singh, Ahmedabad, 2012
194 – Hardik Pandya, Dubai, 2022
188 – Rohit Sharma, Johannesburg, 2007.
Following his remarkable hitting, Abhishek Sharma received special applause from Former Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik .
Dinesh Karthik is in all praise of Abhishek Sharma for his swashbuckling cameo
Rising star Abhishek Sharma got India off to yet another rapid start in the Asia Cup in Dubai, this time against arch-rivals Pakistan, helping the Men in Blue seize control early in the game. After his explosive 30 off 16 deliveries helped India chase down a meagre 58-run target set by UAE with 93 deliveries to spare, Abhishek produced an even more fiery knock against the Men in Green, smashing 31 off 13 balls at a strike rate of 238.46.
And as was the case against the tournament hosts on Wednesday, Abhishek began the chase with a four and a six in the first two deliveries. Haider Ali was the UAE bowler who had been subjected to the ignominious start earlier this week. And on Sunday, it was Shaheen Shah Afridi, one of the premier fast bowlers of the current generation and the leader of the Pakistani attack.
The fireworks, however, were by no means a one-off, with Abhishek Sharma smashing Afrid for a six and a four in his next over as well! And shortly after smashing off-spinner Saim Ayub for back-to-back fours in the latter’s second over, Abhishek Sharma would pay the price for a shot too many, mis-hitting the ball down the ground after dancing down the track to get caught by Faheem Ashraf near long off.
The impact of Abhishek’s knock, however, was such that the Men in Blue were firmly on top despite losing a couple of wickets in the powerplay, racing to 61/2 at the end of six overs. And he did receive plenty of praise on social media and cricket experts for his explosive start. Former Indian player now commentator Dinesh Karthik too has lauded Abhishek Sharma following his blazing start. Speaking to Cricbuzz YouTube channel after the match. Karthik said :
“He’s a great example of the modern day batter who is fearless. Watching Shaheen Afridi bowl over a period of time, Abhishek would seen how much he can swing the ball and bowl the yorker. And what was his response? First ball, step out and put it away if it’s there,”
“Ten. It just tells you the mindset of the man and I love watching him bat. He’s so exciting and is a breath of fresh air even in this modern day T20 cricket, where they play a shot-a-ball. That 31 off 13 pretty much finished Pakistan then and there,” he added.
Abhishek Sharma’s onslaught on Shaheen Afridi meant that the latter bowledonly two overs with woefulfigures of 0 for 23. Dinesh Karthik furthe in his analysis of Abhishek Sharma backed him to continue play his all-out attacking approach of the game despite getting out early in doing so and lacking the knack to convert a solid start to the big ones. He said while advising the youngster to go full throttle without second guessing himself while playing his shots . He said :
“A player who plays at that tempo obviously always keeps taking risks. And when you keep taking risks, you will make the odd error. The whole ideology is how to keep putting the pressure back on the bowler while still being as calculative and as strong with the shots as possible. The one thing he will tell himself, ‘Don’t second guess’. If you commit to a shot, go for it. And he did that. He stepped down, it wasn’t there and he kind of checked it,” said Karthik
“Maybe next time, he’ll have to play it for a single or go full throttle. Thirteen. Even if it goes higher and he gets caught, it’s fine. So you have to give yourself the command and say, ‘Don’t stop yourself from playing shots but if you commit to a shot, commit fully’. I don’t think he’ll overthink the situation.” he concluded.
With the incredible cameo, Abhishek stretched his strike rate in T20Is to 195.40. It’s the highest for any batter in history with over 500 runs in the format. The 25-year-old’s quick start well and truly put India on the way to a comfortable chase in the group game of the Asia Cup 2025 today against their arch rivals.