Abhishek Sharma hit his fourth T20I century and 11th ton in T20s.
Ajinkya Rahane, the former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain, has praised Abhishek Sharma for his match-winning century in the third T20I between India and New Zealand. The analyst noted that the left-handed opener's willingness to learn serves him well.
New Zealand had posted 198/3 after being asked to bat first by Shreyas Iyer, who had won the toss. Daryl Mitchell top-scored with 89*, while Finn Allen made 40 and Bevon Jacobs made 39*.
Chasing 199 to win, India raced to a world-record 118/0 in the first six overs of the powerplay, thanks to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma taking apart the New Zealand bowlers. The pair put on 133 runs for the first wicket before Sooryavanshi departed for 45 off 19 balls.
Abhishek Sharma carried on and blasted 113 from 38 balls, hitting 11 sixes and 9 fours, as India chased down the target with 6 wickets in hand and 13.2 overs to spare. India has pocketed the five-game series with a lead of 3-0 and two games to go.
"He has developed his game so much. It seems like he comes into every inning after learning a lot. He spoke about meditation and being calm. He is calm on the inside but doubly aggressive on the outside. It's extremely enjoyable, and he learns. We have played a few matches together for Indian Oil. His attitude has always been to learn something from every player. He has never become complacent, and when you are eager to learn, you see this consistency," Rahane said on Sony Sports.
In the same discussion, Rahane pointed out that Abhishek Sharma treated every ball he faced like it was a free hit. He further noted that Abhishek's explosive batting and consistency give the lower-order batters confidence.
“It's an extremely special moment for him. Every ball was a free hit for him. When the actual free hit came, he played like that only.
We were talking about his celebration. When you are calm on the inside, and your brain is calm, you can achieve this thing repeatedly. The way Abhishek played and the consistency he is showing, when an opener plays like this, the incoming batters get a different confidence," Rahane concluded.
The fourth T20I will be played in Auckland on October 30, while the fifth and final game will be played in Hamilton on November 1.
The two sides will then face off in a five-ODI series that will be played from November 4 to November 15. The two Test matches will begin with the first Test in Wellington on November 19 and the second Test in Christchurch on November 27.