Abhishek finished the five-T20I series with 163 runs and earned POTS award.
Abhishek Sharma was adjudged Player-of-the-Series in India’s hard-fought 2-1 win over Australia in the five-match T20I series.
Having proved his mettle in the home conditions and in the UAE, the Australian tour was considered as the biggest challenge for Abhishek and the left-handed opener came out with flying colors on bouncy wickets Down Under.
The 25-year-old finished the series as leading run-getter from either side, scoring 163 runs at an average of 40.75 and a strike rate of 161.38. His standout effort was a knock of 37-ball 68 against Josh Hazlewood's fiery spell.
After the fifth T20I in Brisbane was washed out on Saturday (November 8), Abhishek attended a press conference, where he shared his experience of playing on Australian wickets.
"I think coming here, when I was practicing, obviously I had a plan that there is going to be extra bounce and pace. But from a team point of view, I had a plan that I have to play the same way I have been playing. When you are playing like this, when you want to dominate the opposition, you have to have that confidence and that ability, which I think the captain and coach always backed me,” Abhishek told reporters.
"And I was practicing really hard. Because if you see, it's not easy to come to Australia and beat them. So I think I had a plan. And I wanted to play the same brand of cricket. Because that's what we have been following since before the Asia Cup as well. And there was nothing different for me as a player. And as a plan also, it was all the same. Just go out and give the momentum to the team,” he added.
Abhishek Sharma has established himself as India’s leading T20I opener over the last 15 months, scoring 1012 runs from 29 matches at an incredible strike rate of 189.52, including two hundreds and six fifties. Despite being aggressive in his approach, the southpaw has managed to maintain an impressive average of 37.48.
During his unbeaten 23 in the fifth T20I against Australia, Abhishek became the second-fastest Indian batter to 1000 runs in men's T20Is - just one innings behind Virat Kohli's record. However, the youngster wants to remain grounded and keep on improving his skills.
"Obviously, the more I play, the bowlers will identify my strong areas and bowl less there. It will always be a challenge how you can make yourself better. But for that, I feel you need a very positive environment, which I am getting and which I have been getting. So I feel as a batter, if I get that, I always think of improving myself. Whether it's any team or any bowler, I think about how I can give a start to the team and how I can improve my ability,” Abhishek said.
"When you play a little aggressive or you dominate, there will be ups and downs. But the captain and coach have told me one thing. I've said it earlier as well, that - 'If you make 15, 20 or 0, I will be there. You will play the match'. So I think just saying it and doing it is very different. I have always got that positivity as a team. And I think I will continue to get it as well,” he remarked.