Former India cricketer and coach Ravi Shastri has issued a warning to the Australian team regarding taking India opener Abhishek Sharma lightly ahead of the five-T20I series, which begins on October 29 in Canberra. Shastri stated that the southpaw opener is capable of causing major chaos if he stays in the middle for a long time.

Abhishek has been in amazing form, having recently played a major role in India's Asia Cup victory, for which he was named Player of the Tournament. The left-handed batter has established himself as one of the most powerful hitters of the contemporary era.

He enters the series fresh off a tremendous Asia Cup performance in which he scored 314 runs in six innings at an average of over 44 and a strike rate of 200.

Shastri praised Abhishek ahead of the T20I series, identifying him as one of the most dangerous and influential players in the shortest format—a batter capable of shifting momentum fast with his powerful strokeplay.

"He’s a gun T20 player. If he’s in for a while, there’s guaranteed entertainment. Irrespective of whether you’re Australian or Indian, you’ll enjoy it. He has the ability to take the game away from you. You don’t want him out there too long because he can create chaos," Shastri said on Fox Cricket.

Shastri also explained what makes Abhishek Sharma a gun T20I batter, emphasizing his fearless mindset, self-belief, and natural aggression, which allow him to overpower bowlers from the first ball.

"His preparation, his belief in his own ability, the range of shots that he has, and then the mindset to go out there and back himself from ball one. From the get-go, he’ll go after the bowling. That’s where he can be extremely dangerous, very explosive, and quietly confident about his own ability," said Shastri.

The left-hander has 849 runs in 24 matches at a fantastic strike rate of 196.07, including two centuries and five fifties.