'He's future superstar' - Dinesh Karthik's huge take on Abhishek Sharma after batter's Sri Lanka T20Is snub
Published - 20 Jul 2024, 03:29 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:16 AM
Abhishek Sharma's omission from India's T20I squad for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka has raised a number of eyebrows. Earlier this week, the BCCI announced the squad for the T20I as well as the ODI series against Sri Lanka.
While a number of changes were expected in the T20I team following the retirements of the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja, not many were expecting Abhishek Sharma to lose his place. The southpaw was one of the best performers with the bat in this year's IPL.
In 16 games, he had smashed 484 runs at a strike rate of over 204. More than the runs, Abhishek Sharma's power-hitting caught everyone's attention as he hit a record 42 sixes in the tournament. No other player could even hit 40 sixes during IPL 2024. The brilliant performance could not find him a place in India's squad for the T20 World Cup last month.
However, he soon earned his maiden call-up from the national team for the tour of Zimbabwe earlier this month. Abhishek Sharma was out for a 4-ball duck on his debut but made amends for it in style by smashing a whirlwind century in the second game. However, he failed to retain his spot in the T20I side for the upcoming series.
Dinesh Karthik on Abhishek Sharma:
Former India batsman Dinesh Karthik has also shared his views on Abhishek Sharma's potential after his exclusion from the T20I team. During a Cricbuzz show, the former cricketer-turned-commentator hailed the youngster as a future superstar and said that he was mighty impressed by his century against Zimbabwe. Karthik also motivated Sharma and backed him to have a good future in international cricket.
"I think he is a future superstar. The 100 that he got… we all know the skill that he possesses, but to come out in international cricket and do it the same way that you have done in the IPL is what sets him apart, and I really enjoyed watching that knock. Terrific player. I do think he has a very good future for Indian cricket," said Karthik.
Meanwhile, the three-match T20I series between India and Sri Lanka is scheduled to get underway on July 27. After the T20Is, both the teams will be playing a three-match ODI series.
