Following a 4-1 T20I series win over England, left-handed opening all-rounder Indian cricketer Abhishek Sharma made big jumps in the recent update to the ICC Men’s T20I rankings issued on 5th February.
Indian opener Abhishek Sharma has secured second position in T20 in the ICC rankings. He has 829 rating points. Recently, Abhishek scored 135 runs in the 5th T20 match against England. He hit 7 fours and 13 sixes in the match. Abhishek completed his century in just 37 balls. He was selected as the player of the match as well.
Abhishek, who now holds the record for the highest individual score made by an Indian men's player in the shortest format, is just 26 rating points behind the top-ranked Australia left-handed opener Travis Head. His 17 balls to fifty makes it the second quickest for India in the format behind Yuvraj Singh's 12-ball effort against England in Durban in 2007.
In the batters’ rankings, Tilak Varma is third and skipper Suryakumar Yadav is fifth to maintain the Indian representation in top five.
Abhishek Sharma had made his debut against Zimbabwe in July 2024. He plays as an opening batter as well as spinner. In domestic cricket, he represents Punjab while in the Indian Premier League, he plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
He is a friend of Shubman Gill since childhood. They both used to open the innings for Punjab in the under-14s. His extraordinary performance has left his father, Raj Kumar Sharma, filled with pride and joy. His father, Raj Kumar is a renowned cricket coach in Amritsar. He has been Abhishek’s mentor since childhood. Expressing his pride, Raj Kumar said, “It’s a proud moment for us that Abhishek is bringing glory to our name.”
Abhishek’s cricketing journey took a turn when he joined Yuvraj Singh’s cricket academy five to six years ago. He refined his game under the mentorship of Yuvraj Singh and Yograj Singh.