Indian left‑hand opener Abhishek Sharma has etched his name in history by achieving a career‑highest rating in the ICC Men’s T20I batter rankings. Abhishek Sharma‘s stellar performance in the Asia Cup propelled him past previous benchmarks, putting him at the top of the global list.
Abhishek Sharma played an instrumental role in India’s success throughout the tournament, scoring 314 runs in seven matches at an average of 44.86 and a blistering strike rate of 200. Thus, the left-hander Abhishek Sharma was awarded Player of the tournament and he is also the number one batter in the ICC rankings.
Abhishek Sharma’s Record breaking leap in T20I Rankings
- In the latest ICC rankings update, Abhishek Sharma achieved a rating of 931 points, making it the highest rating ever recorded in the T20I batter category.
- He surpassed Dawid Malan’s 2020 record of 919 points.
- This performance positions him ahead of England’s Phil Salt, with Tilak Varma holding third place.
- Abhishek Sharma’s ascent was fueled by an elegant half‑century in India’s match against Sri Lanka during the Asia Cup.
- At the Asia Cup, Abhishek Sharma amassed 314 runs across the tournament at an average of 44.85, earning him the Player of the Tournament distinction.
- His consistency and flair at the top of the order were central to India’s success.
Former South African batter AB de Villiers showered praise on Abhishek Sharma after India’s successful run in the Asia Cup. India won the continental tournament for the ninth time after beating Pakistan by five wickets in the final at Dubai on Sunday.
Abhishek Sharma was India’s star performer in the recently concluded Asia Cup 2025, as he scored more than 300 runs in the competition and played a key role in India winning the trophy for a record ninth time. Abhishek Sharma was explosive with his batting throughout the tournament and his free-flowing and fiery batting style caught everyone’s eye.
Abhishek Sharma was naturally picked in India’s latest T20I squad that will travel to Australia for a series this month. Sharma and Shubman Gill have formed a formidable duo at the top of the Indian batting order. The southpaw might have flourished in home conditions in the last one year, but the Australian soil is bound to be a challenge for the youngster in his first-ever tour down under.
However, South Africa and Royal Challengers Bengaluru legend AB de Villiers feels that the SRH star will face no hardships in the Australian conditions and he hopes to see the youngster succeed.
Ab De Villiers backs Abhishek Sharma to excel in Australian conditions
Ex-South Africa skipper AB de Villiers believes Abhishek Sharma will enjoy the conditions in Australia when he plays the upcoming T20I series Down Under. De Villiers observed that the left-hander plays both sides of the wicket, making it conducive for him to hit the ball well in Australia.
The 25-year-old has been in fearsome form of late, bagging the Player of the Tournament award in a successful Asia Cup 2025 for Team India, accumulating 314 runs in seven innings. However, the upcoming series in Australia will be the first time he plays an international match Down Under.
Speaking in the latest video of his YouTube channel, De Villiers assessed India’s T20 squad for Australia series and claimed the bounce will suit Abhishek, who is in the form of his life. He elaborated :
“Obviously, Sky, I’ve watched him captain before. I like the way he approaches the game. Very good body language, obviously fantastic batter and a great thinker of the game. Abhishek Sharma is in the form of the life, some are saying he is the best opening batter in the world right now in this format. Will be great to see what he can get over there in Australia. I think he will enjoy the conditions because there’s quite a bit of bounce.
“He likes freeing up his arms over the off-side, opening up the blade, covering the point to third man boundary, hitting sixes over there. He can also clear up or open up the leg side as well. All round player, fantastic batter to watch.”
In 24 T20Is, Abhishek Sharma has 849 runs at a strike rate of 196.02 with two centuries. He is also currently ranked No.1 for batters in men’s T20I cricket.
De Villiers went on to claim that India were yielding the results of some exceptional decisions right at the top. He could spot no weaknesses in their T20I squad to tour Australia. He added :
“This is an all out fire powerhouse team. All the guys who have been performing in the IPL and have been playing good cricket leading up to this tour have made the side. I feel India are benefitting from a clever cricketing mind selection panel. I don’t know how else to explain that. But it seems to me they are making quality cricketing decisions from the top and you can see the way these teams line up and the way they are performing.
Very consistent, there’s not a lot of weaknesses in this team. You know what these guys are capable of. We’ve seen it in the IPL. Now, the best crop and the group of the IPL, the individuals who perform there find themselves together in one team. It’s all power from start to finish.”
Team India’s white-ball tour of Australia will begin with the three ODIs on October 19. They will play five T20Is following the ODI series.
India’s T20I squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (VC), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar.
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