"He isn’t here, but he has put this habit" - Ajay Jadeja credits Indian legend for Abhishek Sharma’s fearless batting approach in Asia Cup 2025

Former India batter Ajay Jadeja has lauded the influence of batting talisman Rohit Sharma for the team's current aggresive approach. The 54-year-old said that the present ODI captain originated the idea of taking on the bowling, which has seeped into the other batters in India's current playing XI.

The 38-year-old retired from T20Is in June 2024 after leading India to a World Cup triumph in the West Indies and USA. Jadeja said on Sony Sports:

“He (Abhishek Sharma) is a dominating player. What I will add is that the entire team have played a role in his success because to accept that we will play in this manner, Rohit Sharma originated this. He isn’t here, but he has put this habit.”

“Otherwise, the way he got out, two years ago, six years ago, or even 10 years ago, he may have been questioned for scoring 30 runs and getting out. The point is that only if he looks to hit can he get out. The confidence that he is getting, the team appreciating him for his style of play and the eighth batter in the team is allowing him to bat in this manner”.

Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar said that opening batter Abhishek Sharma was always looking to play matches in any part of India, when he is not involved with the national team. The current Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) assistant coach said that Sharma not only had the talent, but also had the diligence to go with it.

"He goes everywhere to play matches. When he is not playing for India, whether it is in Delhi or Dehradun or Rajasthan, or Mumbai, wherever there is cricket happening, wherever there is a ground, wherever he can get a chance, Abhishek Sharma goes there to practice. He’s not got the talent, but he is also diligent. The mindset to become a cricketer is most important to him," Nayar said.

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Abhishek Nayar gives insight into Abhishek Sharma's evolution as a batter

Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar gave a glimpse into how Abhishek Sharma became the batter that he is today. Nayar revealed how the 25-year-old spoke to him about practicing on big boundaries and crucially, working on his skill to hit sixes.

“I look at this in two ways. Firstly, a batter is given the option to play a certain way. But why is the batter given that option? Because you have the talent. A lot of players come, many of them try to play in this manner, but they don’t get that long rope. That’s because when you see them play, you don’t feel that he has it in him. But Abhishek Sharma is not one of them.”

“The way he began in the IPL, not sure if you remember, the first three years were a struggle for him. I’ll say this on air when we were playing in the UAE against SRH, it did not seem then that he would be able to hit sixes. He was playing run-a-ball. He did not have that ability. He could play, but he did not have that ability," he said.

Nayar also revealed an anectode from the DY Patil T20 tournament where he saw Abhishek Sharma hit Varun Chakaravarthy for three sixes. He further said that the southpaw expressed confidence to be able to hit any bowler, on any given length. Nayar said:

“When I was with the team and I discussed with him as to what he did differently, he said that he practiced on grounds that had big boundaries, and for hours, he practiced only hitting sixes. The more I practiced the routine, I found a flow to my batting. I found the confidence that whichever ball I needed to hit, I would be able to do that.”

“The first glimpse of that I saw came in the DY Patil tournament. Varun Chakaravarthy was a well-known bowler back then. Abhishek was among the runs, but not a lot. He hit him for three sixes in an over. They lost that match, but when he hit those sixes on the rise, I spoke to him after the match. He said, “Bhaiyya, ab toh main nikal pada hoon”. I know I’ll make runs now because I have worked so hard, and I have the confidence I can hit whatever the length, wherever I want. He still hasn’t let go of that mindset. ”

A few days ago, former India opener Aakash Chopra wondered if Abhishek Sharma was, at present, the best T20 opening batter in the world. Chopra spoke about the southpaw's ability to step down the track and hit the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi for a six off the first ball of an innings, adding that he had been a revelation since he moved to the top of the order.