He is the highest run-getter in the ongoing Asia Cup.
The top run-getter in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025, Abhishek Sharma, is known for his exploits in the 20-over format. In the current series, the India opener has four 30+ scores in as many matches, including an explosive half-century against Pakistan.
Ahead of India’s Super Four fixture against Bangladesh, Ryan ten Doeschate had attended the press conference. The assistant coach lauded the youngster for his brand of cricket.
“I think fearless is the right word there. But don’t forget that it’s backed with an incredible amount of skill. The expectation is that he sticks to his process. He is not going to be successful all the time, it’s impossible given the type of cricket he plays. But we want him to keep playing that way. He loves batting and swinging his bat, and that fits well with what we’re trying to do.”
But despite Abhishek’s approach, he may not board the flight to Australia next month.
Batting at No.6 on his IPL debut, the then 17-year-old smashed an unbeaten 19-ball 46 in front of RCB greats like AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli. Now, at 25 years of age, Abhishek has carried his power-hitting intent in the top order. But the same formula may not work in 50-over cricket.
Kohli and Rohit Sharma have retired from two out of three formats, and as much as it may hurt Indian fans, their participation in the ODI World Cup 2027 hangs in the balance. But this may not lead to a wildcard entry for Abhishek.
The management looks at Shubman Gill as an all-format captain for India. While KL Rahul is another mainstay in the ODI format, he showed consistency at No.5 during the Champions Trophy 2025. Should Rohit retire sooner than expected, the opening spot will be up for grabs. But it’s unlikely that Abhishek will be the selector’s first option.
Looking at Youth ODIs for a fair comparison, the Punjabi batter has struck 303 runs in 15 outings. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is also a southpaw opener, has crossed the four-figure mark in 27 matches. Jaiswal’s average of 69.30 is almost triple that of Abhishek’s 23.30. Abhishek is yet to debut in ODIs, while Jaiswal made 15 runs in his solitary match against England in Nagpur earlier this year.
ALSO READ:
If we talk about the current ODI captain’s first 60 ODIs, he was averaging 40+ and had struck six centuries by that time. Taking over his spot could be in Abhishek’s two or three-year plan, but currently, he may not start in the playing XI, and surely not ahead of Jaiswal.
Evaluating Abhishek’s 60-odd List A games, he has collected more than 2K runs. He has a decent average of 35, while striking at around 100. He has returned with four centuries and eight fifties, which isn’t half bad for a 25-year-old trying to enter the Indian circuit. But Jaiswal’s numbers are mind-blowing. Playing half the number of games, he has 1,500+ runs with an extra hundred. The 23-year-old is now difficult to ignore in comparison and leads the race in the 50-over format.
The two explosive batters have played roughly the same number of T20Is with 700+ runs, at a similar average in 30s. But their strike rate separates the two like-for-like players. Abhishek almost touches 200, while Jaiswal strikes at 164. This could’ve also been the reason why Jaiswal is part of the reserves in the ongoing multi-national tournament.
Wrapping up all the statistics, Abhishek is better suited to the shortest format of the game. He may face stiff competition from both Mumbai batters for the opening spot in the ODIs, but it might be a smart choice for the selectors to wait a couple of years.
India will tour Australia for three ODIs and five T20Is next month.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
