Former India batter Mohammad Kaif has described Abhishek Sharma as a gift that Indian cricket should look after, following a record-breaking century in the final T20I against Afghanistan.
Abhishek struck 108 from 34 balls at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday, lifting India to 221/7. Afghanistan were dismissed for 94 in 14.1 overs, handing India a 127-run win and a 3-0 series sweep.
A record on the scoreboard
The opener reached three figures in only 30 balls, the quickest T20I hundred by a batter from a full-member nation. He finished with nine fours and 11 sixes. The knock also beat the previous Indian best of a 35-ball century, which Rohit Sharma made against Sri Lanka in 2017.
It was Abhishek’s third T20I hundred. Across the series he was India’s top scorer, collecting 229 runs at a strike rate of 269.41.
Kaif on patience and backing players
Kaif pointed to a change in how Abhishek begins his innings. In his view, the left-hander now lets himself settle for three or four deliveries before opening up, rather than attacking from the first ball.
The century also came after a lean run, as Abhishek had not reached fifty in his previous seven innings. Competition for T20I places is intense, with young batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi among those in the frame, so the pressure to deliver was real.
Kaif argued that a few quiet innings do not turn a batter into a poor one, and that the fastest hundred of all can arrive straight after them. For him, the lesson is that talented players need support through difficult spells.
He called Abhishek a rare talent and stressed that his ability should be nurtured as his international career develops.
