Former India batter Aakash Chopra applauded Abhishek Sharma for his stunning batting performance in the first T20I against New Zealand in Nagpur as well. According to Chopra, Sharma looks to dominate the opposition bowlers in the T20 format, adding that once he gets settled, he is almost impossible to stop. However, Abhishek smashed 84 off just 35 balls in the first T20I against New Zealand.

Chopra told ESPNcricinfo: “It’s remarkable. When do you actually get to see too many dot balls? It’s in the powerplay overs where it’s boundary or nothing. But he finds boundaries more often than anybody else. So, there are no dot balls there. And after that, people are willing to give him a single. It’s the threat that he poses to everyone, where you say, I’m not even looking for a dot ball.”

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“Once the powerplay overs are done, there is no way you can bowl a dot ball to him, unless he’s beaten, a ball goes to the keeper or the bowler actually fields himself. You’ll hardly see a dot ball anywhere else. So, I think just the way he’s batting, he’s imposing himself on the bowling unit. The bowlers are almost conceding defeat the moment they see he’s played about 15-20 balls,” he further added.

However, Abhishek Sharma’s brilliant form with the bat is definitely a positive sign ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup as well.

“Possibly the most prolific batter in the entire World Cup. Not just from India’s point of view. I think he could be that guy who will set the World Cup on fire from game 1 itself. There are many hitters, there are many openers who are great strikers, but nobody is coming close to the way this guy is hitting, and consistently for a longer period of time,” Aakash Chopra concluded.