India opener Abhishek Sharma wreaked havoc on the Pakistani bowling attack in the Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (September 21).
The southpaw led the charge with a blazing 39-ball 74, sharing a fiery 105-run opening stand with Shubman Gill (47 off 28) as the Men in Blue chased down 172 with six wickets in hand and seven deliveries to spare.
After the win, Abhishek Sharma's mother Manju Sharma expressed her delight at his brilliant knock and even took a playful dig at the Pakistan’s strike fast bowler Shaheen Afridi, who was hit for a first-ball six during the chase.
"It was just so fun watching him play like that today. It was even more fun to watch him hit the six on the very first ball against we all know who. He has made it a habit. I just hope you all keep supporting him, and he keeps doing what he does best," Manju said in a video posted by journalist Vimal Kumar.
Abhishek's sister Komal Sharma was also proud of his performance and she could not control her excitement after the left-hander received the Player-of-the-Match award.
"I always wanted to watch an India vs Pakistan match, and today we came - and he did so well. He's the Man of the Match, what more can we say? You can see on our faces, we're super excited and happy. We're very proud of him. I truly believe the sky is the limit for him, and he's going to prove to everyone the kind of player and talent he has. The century will come very soon, and he has already made us proud. We're just waiting for that hundred in this tournament, that's all," Komal said.
During his whirlwind knock, featuring 6 fours and 5 sixes, Abhishek Sharma was involved in a heated exchange with Pakistan fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf.
In a post-match chat with Sony Sports Network, Abhishek addressed his confrontation with the Pakistani players, accusing the opponent of provoking his team with ‘personal attacks’, which motivated him to go after them and deliver for India.
“I needed to do something because I didn’t like what was happening. The words that were being said… after every ball, they were making personal attacks. Shubman Gill and I were talking about it — that we’ll win our team the match and give them a befitting reply," Abhishek said.
