Few Indian batters have been as ruthless in terms of hitting as Abhishek.
Abhishek Sharma describes what the coming generation of T20 batters will look like: aggressive, strong, with pure bat swing. At the international level, all batters possess skill sets; what matters is how ruthless their hitting is and whether they can adapt to various challenges that come after initial success.
Former Punjab Kings (PBKS) power-hitting specialist Julian Wood explains how Abhishek generates power, suggesting that he has a rapid hand speed and the ability to hold his swing. While talking to Cricbuzz, he noted how the southpaw starts his hands more centrally, which lengthens his bat swing and allows him to generate maximum power in his shots.
“Abhishek starts with his hands central, under his belly button. Most players set up with their hands on the back hip, which shortens the swing and makes it pushy (and) muscly. He doesn’t. Starting central lengthens the swing, creates rhythm, and keeps it fluent. That’s why it looks pure. He relies on rhythm, timing, sequencing, not muscle.”
The sequencing part is vital: Abhishek’s swing flows because his feet, hips, torso, and shoulders move in sync, separating one after another in the correct sequence at the precise time, like a well-rehearsed chain of movement. This is also a reason why he manages to maintain his balance, and he has been improving even on hard lengths, for the sequencing buys him the time before executing a shot.
When Abhishek showed his true potential in IPL 2024, most of his knocks came on flat surfaces, which was the case at almost every venue. There were obvious shouts that his methods were effective only on fast surfaces with no grip for speedsters, and he showed signs of struggle at times when bowlers bowled into his body.
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However, he has improved significantly in that aspect and demonstrated terrific skills to succeed, even on slightly tacky batting pitches. That has been visible in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025, where he has been miles better than every other batter in the competition on tracks not as fluent for shot-making.
That has mostly been possible only due to sequencing and the ability to delay his bat swing to impart high power in his shots. If there were any doubts regarding his expertise on sluggish decks, this tournament must have mitigated them, and Abhishek has established himself as the best T20 opener in world cricket.
There will be patches when he struggles for runs, but quality-wise, he has been imposing, and his growth has been rapid. Few Indian batters have been as ruthless in terms of hitting as Abhishek, and he has surely paved the way for upcoming batters with his supreme power game.
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