Indian opener Abhishek Sharma receives praise from Pietersen

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen heaped praise on India’s opening batter Abhishek Sharma for his scintillating performances with the bat.

“Not surprised at all by this. Abhishek is the most complete opening batter in T20 cricket. Fearless, courageous, and talented!” Pietersen wrote on X.

Abhishek has been in sensational form lately, earning the Player of the Series award in the Asia Cup 2025, and repeating the feat in the T20I series against Australia, which India won 2—1.

Meanwhile, his mentor and former India star Yuvraj Singh shared an amusing anecdote about the youngster’s attachment to his bats.

“You can take anything from Abhishek, but nobody can take a bat from him. He’ll fight, even cry, but he won’t give his bat away,” Yuvraj said at a recent event.

Since making his debut against Zimbabwe in July 2024, Abhishek has been a revelation in international T20s. In 29 matches, he has piled up over 1,000 runs at a staggering strike rate of nearly 190, with six half-centuries and two centuries in 28 innings — earning him the No. 1 ranking among T20I batters.

The young left-hander will next be seen in action in the home T20I series against South Africa, beginning December 9.