Legendary England batter Kevin Pietersen once again expressed his admiration for the Indian opener Abhishek Sharma after he bagged Player of the Series against Australia. The left-handed batter has been in incredible form, and he continued it on Australian soil, showcasing his fearless batting approach in a five-match T20I series that India won 2-1. The swashbuckling opener has been India’s standout batter in the shortest format, playing crucial knocks for the team on big stages, including the Asia Cup 2025. He has been instrumental in shaping India’s ultra-attacking mindset in T20 cricket, a shift that began after last year’s T20 World Cup.
The English legend was highly impressed with Abhishek’s consistency after he bagged Player of the Series in the Asia Cup and the Australia tour back-to-back, and called him the most complete T20 batter.
“Not surprised at all by this. Abhishek is the most complete opening batter in T20 cricket. Fearless, courageous and talented!” Pietersen wrote on X.
He finished as the leading run-getter of the series, amassing 163 runs across five innings at an impressive average of 40.75 and a blistering strike rate of 161.39. His consistent form included a vital half-century, with his highest score being a fluent 68.
Meanwhile, Abhishek also etched his name in the record books by becoming the fastest batter to complete 1000 T20I runs among full-member nations, reaching the milestone in just 528 balls. He went past India skipper Suryakumar Yadav (573 balls) and England’s Phil Salt (599 balls) to claim the record. He reached the mark during the fifth T20I against Australia at the Gabba, Brisbane.
