Abhishek Sharma turned heads with his record-breaking knock in the fifth T20I between India and England which was played on Sunday in Mumbai. Abhishek smashed 135 runs in 54 balls with 7 fours and 13 sixes, propelling India to 247/9 in 20 overs.
Abhishek’s knock consisted of a 17-ball fifty, the second fastest for India and a 37-ball century, also the second fastest for India in T20Is. His 13 sixes were the most in a T20I by an Indian. Abhishek Sharma's 135 was the highest score by an Indian in a T20I innings, eclipsing Shubman Gill's 126*.
Seeing his smashing batting for India, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has said that he sees the 24-year-old as a potential regular in all formats, including Test cricket. Harbhajan hopes that Abhishek, Shubman Gill, and Yashasvi Jaiswal will form India's top three in all formats.
“I am really looking forward to that period when they will be India's top 3. What a batting lineup that will be and those days are not too far away. Maybe in about six months, we will see these three playing permanently for India in white-ball cricket,” said Harbhajan on his YouTube channel.
“And maybe we will also see him starring in the Test team as well. He can play, banda todta hai usme bhi (he smashes in that format as well). He is captain of Punjab (in the Ranji Trophy),” he said.
In 24 FC matches, Abhishek Sharma has 1071 runs at an average of 30.60 with one century and five half-centuries.
Harbhajan believes that an aggressive player like himself can succeed in Test cricket in the same way that Travis Head and greats like Virender Sehwag and Viv Richards have.
“On his day, he just takes the game away. Travis Head does it, Virender Sehwag used to do it, Viv Richards used to do it. These kinds of players are the ones who take the game forward. Today or tomorrow, his chance will come in Test cricket. You always need a player of the Sehwag mold in Test cricket who comes, smashes, and takes the game away. That can be Abhishek Sharma,” said Harbhajan.
While he had struck a century against Zimbabwe in his second T20I, Abhishek had only achieved one half-century in nine innings since then, before the first T20I against England at Eden Gardens.
He began the series by hitting 79 runs in 34 balls in Kolkata, propelling India to a commanding seven-wicket victory. After that, he had scores of 12, 24, and 29 before reaching the century at the Wankhede.