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Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara predicted that Abhishek Sharma might end up as the greatest batter to ever play for the India National Cricket Team in the shortest format of the game. Pujara's comments came after the sasbuckling opener's match-defining 69 off 30 balls in the previous T20I match against West Indies.
Abhishek Sharma is among the very few batters who have been consistently playing for the team in the format, despite a lot of chopping and changes in the playing combination. Sharma had a massive run drought during the 2026 T20 World Cup, but he recovered from the bad patch soon and continues to fire all cylinders for the Men in Blue.
Abhishek Sharma is the fastest to get 2,000 runs in T20I
In the third T20I of the ongoing 5-match series between India and West Indies, Abhishek Sharma claimed two major milestones through his match-winning knock in Indore. The left-handed batter became the sixth Indian man to go past 2000 runs in T20Is and the fastest in men’s cricket in terms of deliveries to get past the mark.
With the help of the 26-year-old's explosive batting and a crucial partnership with Ishan Kishan, the Indian cricket team registered 223 runs in the first innings and eventually defeated West Indies by 14 runs. Ahead of the fourth match, which is scheduled to be held tonight at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, the home team has a 2-1 lead. Only one win will be enough for them to seal the series.
Cheteshwar Pujara labels Abhishek Sharma as the best to play T20 for India
Speaking on JioStar, Cheteshwar Pujara expressed that probably no one thought that Abhishek Sharma could achieve the 2,000-run mark so quickly. For Pujara, Sharma so far has been the best batter for India to perform in this particular format.
“Nobody thought that he would cross such a big milestone so quickly. But the way Abhishek has performed, I think he is probably one of the best T20 players the Indian team has had so far,” said Cheteshwar Pujara on JioStar ahead of the India vs West Indies 4th T20I match.
Cheteshwar Pujara compares Abhishek Sharma with Chris Gayle
Taking a step further, the former cricketer compared the Indian prodigy with the former West Indies opener Chris Gayle, who was known for his extraordinary hitting skills. Pujara did not feel any hesitation to put Sharma and Gayle in the same bracket.
"His name will be remembered for a long time. When we talk about the T20 format, we immediately think of Chris Gayle from the West Indies. Abhishek has that kind of ability. The way he showed maturity, especially in Indore, by taking a little time, even though five-six balls is a lot of time for him, shows that he is understanding his game a little better, recognising the opposition’s strengths, and batting accordingly. Now, in Hyderabad, he has played a lot on that ground, and that experience and familiarity matter, even in T20s," he continued.
