On Sunday, September 21, during the India vs. Pakistan Super Fours match of the ongoing Asia Cup 2025, Abhishek Sharma was the centre of attention. Abhishek led India’s run to win Player of the Match while playing at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The batting all-rounder’s verbal altercation with Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf of Pakistan also garnered media attention, so this wasn’t the only headline he made.
Abhishek Sharma blasted Shaheen for a six on the first ball, kicking up the chase with a bang. He later received a few words from Shaheen, to which the Punjabi native replied in a way that pleased him. Later on, Shaheen’s opening partner Shubman Gill also criticised him for focussing more on sledging than on bowling. After Haris Rauf and the Indian pair experienced the same scenario during the final over of the powerplay, the situation became too heated. Although he thought that a confrontation like this could have been prevented, Abhishek was forced to react.
“Personally, I did not like it because on every ball, their bowlers were trying to provoke me, launching personal attacks on me and Shubman [Gill]. So I felt it was necessary to respond in my own style. In my opinion, this is not how cricket should be played. I kept telling Shubman to give them a befitting reply after winning the match tonight,” Abhishek Sharma told Sony Sports Network in a post-match chat.
When it comes to Abhishek Sharma batting, the 25-year-old was mostly to blame for India’s six-wicket victory. The Southpaw hammered 74 runs off just 39 deliveries while batting aggressively. Six fours and five enormous sixes were sent into the crowd during his spectacular knock. Abhishek left in the thirteenth over, trying to stay up with the ante, but by that point, India was unquestionably winning the match because fewer than fifty runs were needed.
With 173 runs from four innings at a roaring strike rate of 208.43, Abhishek Sharma is also the season’s top scorer with the scorching knock. He hopes to maintain the momentum for the forthcoming match against Sri Lanka, which is scheduled for Thursday in Dubai, but his most recent hit was his first half-century of the major event.
India
