Abhishek Sharma had proven to be a nemesis for the Pakistani bowlers during the Asia Cup 2025.
India and Pakistan will lock horns in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Group A clash on February 15. The marquee fixture will take place at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Ahead of the high-profile game, former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir has stirred a debate by terming India opener Abhishek Sharma as “slogger”.
Despite facing backlash from Indian fans for his remark on Sharma, Amir remained unmoved, reiterating his stance with conviction.
“He (Abhishek) is a slogger, that is how I see him. A player who cannot judge the line and defend the ball properly, can I call him a proper batter? He comes in and swings hard and it connects well for him right now," Amir said while speaking on a Pakistani show.
“But the day he learns to handle tough lines and defend properly, I will change my opinion. You are playing on small grounds and flat wickets; you have not really been tested yet. Let him tour South Africa, New Zealand and England where the ball moves, that is where the real test will be. If he succeeds there, I will be the first to call him a proper batter," he added.
However, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh strongly rubbished those remarks, stressing that Abhishek Sharma is far from a one-dimensional power-hitter and possesses a complete range of strokes.
“Come on — what am I supposed to say to that? He just gets up and says anything. If you call him a slogger, fine, let him smash sixes — but he’s a proper batter who has every shot in the book,” Harbhajan said while speaking to Vikrant Gupta on the Sports Tak YouTube channel.
“He knows exactly where the ball is coming from and plays accordingly. He can go over cover, through point, long-on, long-off, midwicket — he has every shot. After that, you can’t label him just a slogger,” the Turbanator added.
“If I start naming real sloggers, some people might get offended, but I don’t want to create more drama. Calling anyone just a slogger isn’t fair. Abhishek is a top-class batter who has already proven himself in world cricket,” he further remarked.
In the end, Harbhajan warned Amir that if Abhishek gets set at the crease, Pakistan could be in serious trouble.
“Just wait and watch. If Abhishek stays at the crease, he’ll remind everyone who he is. For the last four or five months, he’s already been in your dreams. If he goes big tomorrow, he’ll be in your dreams for the next six months,” he concluded.
Since his debut in July 2024, Abhishek Sharma has established himself as one of the most explosive batters in world cricket.
The southpaw has played 39 T20Is so far, scoring 1297 runs at an incredible strike rate of 194.45, including two hundreds and eight fifties. Despite being aggressive in his approach, he has managed to maintain an impressive average of 36.02 as well.
The left-hander had proven to be a nemesis for the Pakistani bowlers during the Asia Cup last September, returning with knocks of 31 (13 balls), 74 (39 balls) and 5 (6 balls) in the group-stage, Super 4 and final matches respectively.