Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has hailed Abhishek Sharma as the most dangerous batter in world cricket right now, backing his explosive form ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Speaking on India Today’s Salaam Cricket, Pant highlighted Abhishek’s impact in the shortest format and underlined how rare it is to maintain consistency in the Indian Premier League across multiple seasons.
“Abhishek Sharma is the most dangerous batter if we take the current form into consideration. He has been consistent in the IPL, which is not easy,” Rishabh Pant said, summing up the growing buzz around the young left-hander.
Abhishek Sharma has quickly emerged as one of India’s most exciting T20 prospects. Since making his international debut in 2024, the aggressive opener has piled up 1,297 runs in 38 T20Is at an impressive average of 37.05 and a scorching strike rate of 194.74.
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His ability to take games away in the power play, combined with two T20I hundreds and eight fifties, has made him a key weapon in India’s plans for the T20 World Cup 2026. With form and confidence on his side, Abhishek enters the tournament as one of the batters opposition teams will be wary of.
Pant also reflected on the influence of former India head coach Rahul Dravid on his mindset. He credited Rahul Dravid for teaching him the importance of emotional balance, especially in high-pressure international cricket. “It is important not to overthink and dwell too much. This is what I learnt from Rahul bhai. He told me to be the same person even after scoring a hundred or registering a duck,” Pant shared.
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While Pant continues to work on his game and mindset, his white-ball future remains uncertain. The selectors have preferred KL Rahul in ODIs, while Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and Jitesh Sharma currently feature ahead of him in T20I plans, leaving Pant with a point to prove going forward.
