Abhishek Sharma was declared Player-of-the-Series in India’s hard-fought 2-1 win over Australia in the five-match series.

Just like the series opener, inclement weather played spoilsport in the finale at Gabba on Saturday (November 8). Only three of the five T20Is were completed, and the visitors emerged victorious in two games.

Having proved his mettle on the Indian pitches and in the UAE, the Australian tour was considered as a biggest challenge in Abhishek’s career so far and the left-handed opener came out with flying colors on bouncy wickets.

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 with one half-century.

After receiving the Player-of-the-Series award, Abhishek said he prepared himself “mentally and technically” for months to take on the Australian challenge.

“I have been waiting for this tournament. When I got to know we’re going to Australia for the T20Is, I was very excited,” Abhishek said while speaking at the post-match presentation.

“Throughout my career, I’ve seen that Australia is very batting-friendly, and I wanted to prepare myself for these kinds of bowlers and conditions.”

Sharing a sneak peek into his preparation, the southpaw said it focused on facing world-class fast bowlers and adapting his game to Australian surfaces.

“If you want to play good cricket and do well for your team, you have to face world-class bowlers. I was practising for these kinds of bowlers because that’s how you improve as a player,” Abhishek replied when asked if Josh Hazlewood’s absence in the last three T20Is made it a bit easy for the India players.

Talking about his ultra-aggressive approach, Abhishek credited the Indian team management for giving him the freedom to play his natural game.

“The captain and coach have given me the clarity and confidence to just go and express myself. As a batter, when you’re scoring 20s and 30s, you know you can go longer, but the clarity to set the momentum for the team has really helped me,” he said.

The Punjab laud said the series had strengthened his resolve to push for a T20 World Cup berth next year.

“It will be a dream come true if I get to play the World Cup. As a kid, I always dreamt of winning it for India. I will make sure I’m ready for that tournament,” he remarked.