After guiding India to a convincing win against Pakistan, the young opener revealed that he and his partner Shubman Gill were targeted with verbal exchanges by Pakistani pacers. “I didn’t like the way they were sledging us without any reason,” Abhishek Sharma remarked, adding that he preferred to answer back with the bat.
The high-voltage encounter on Sunday, September 21, saw tempers flare as Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf tried to unsettle the Indian openers. Rauf even made gestures toward the crowd after being teased with ‘Kohli, Kohli’ chants from Indian fans.
Unfazed by the hostility, Abhishek Sharma and Gill stitched a blazing 105-run partnership off just 59 balls while chasing 172. The left-hander stole the show with a spectacular 74 off 39 deliveries, laced with six fours and five sixes. His explosive knock not only sealed India’s win but also earned him the Player of the Match award.
“The way they came at us without any reason, I didn’t like it at all” – Abhishek Sharma
“Today, it was pretty simple. The way they were coming at us without any reason, I didn’t like it at all. I felt the best reply I could give was through my batting and by contributing to the team’s victory. That’s all that was running through my mind—I just wanted to deliver for my side,” Abhishek Sharma said.
The 25-year-old also praised his opening partner Shubman Gill, who played a blistering knock of 47 runs off 28 balls with eight boundaries.
“We’ve been playing together since our school days, so we enjoy each other’s company a lot. From the way we started, I always felt we’d put together such a partnership in one of these matches. Luckily, it happened today. Watching the way Gill was counter-attacking, I really enjoyed it from the other end,” he added.
India outclassed Pakistan by six wickets in the Super Four clash, successfully chasing a 172-run target in just 18.5 overs. Earlier, skipper Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to bowl first, with the Indian bowlers restricting Pakistan to 171/5 despite opener Sahibzada Farhan’s solid 58-run knock.
With his match-winning innings, Abhishek Sharma became the tournament’s leading run-scorer, amassing 173 runs in four games. India will next face Bangladesh on September 24 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
