Australia spinner Matthew Kuhnemann hailed India’s Abhishek Sharma as a “serious talent” ahead of the 4th T20I at Gold Coast. Abhishek has been India’s standout performer in the series, showcasing fearless batting against Australia’s pace attack. (Image Credit: X/Cricbuzz)
The young batting sensation of India, Abhishek Sharma, has left the cricketing world talking with his explosive performances in the T20I series that is currently on between Australia and India.
As the action now shifts to the Bill Pippen Oval in Gold Coast for the fourth T20I on Thursday (November 6), Australian spinner Matthew Kuhnemann has singled out Abhishek as a “serious talent,” hoping his side can find a way to stop his batting blitz early.
Across the three matches so far, Abhishek Sharma has been India's standout performer with the bat, showing great adaptation to the seaming and bouncy conditions of Australia.
While the series opener in Canberra was washed out, even that brief appearance saw the left-hander create an impact with a brisk 19 off 14 balls, smashing four boundaries before falling to Nathan Ellis.
While India looked in a state of disarray in the second T20I against Australia's relentless pace barrage, Abhishek rose above the chaos with a fearless strokeplay that yielded a 37-ball 68, studded with crisp timing and confident pulls. Though India fell short in the end, the innings sealed his status as India's most influential batter of the series.
When the third T20I came around, the 25-year-old once again provided a brisk start, hammering two sixes and two fours in a 16-ball 25. His fiery knock laid the foundation for India's successful five-wicket win, helping them level the series 1-1 with nine balls to spare.
Speaking ahead of the fourth match, Kuhnemann acknowledged the challenge Abhishek poses for Australia’s bowlers - especially with frontline quick Josh Hazlewood unavailable for the remainder of the series.
“He’s a serious talent and just goes so hard from ball one,” Kuhnemann said to reporters. “Hopefully, it’s Xavier Bartlett or one of the quicks, Benny Dwarshuis, who can take his wicket in the first couple of overs.”
The spinner reiterated that early breakthroughs are important as India's attacking style is the same as that of Australia. "Both teams are playing an explosive brand of cricket. In T20s, it's all about momentum — whoever can strike in the middle overs and control key wickets will have the edge," Kuhnemann added.
With the series poised at 1-1, the two sides are keen to seize the initiative with the final match. For India, maintaining batting consistency and cashing in on the powerplay overs - a phase where Abhishek Sharma has been in excellent form - would be of top priority.
Meanwhile, Australia will look to bounce back without Travis Head, who has left the squad to play in the Sheffield Shield ahead of the Ashes. India, too, will miss Kuldeep Yadav, who has been released to join the India A squad for their second four-day match against South Africa A.
