"Is he the best T20 opener in the world?" - Aakash Chopra on Abhishek Sharma amid Asia Cup 2025

Former India player Aakash Chopra has wondered whether Abhishek Sharma is the best T20 opener in the world. He noted that the Indian opener, who took Shaheen Shah Afridi to the cleaners in their Asia Cup 2025 clash against Pakistan, always bats explosively.

Abhishek smashed 31 runs off 13 balls in India's seven-wicket win against Pakistan in their Group A clash in Dubai on Sunday, September 14. The left-handed opener had scored 30 runs off 16 balls in the Men in Blue's Asia Cup 2025 opener against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the same venue four days earlier.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India batter praised Abhishek for his attacking approach against Afridi and questioned whether he is the best T20 opener at the moment.

"He jumped down the pitch and hit Shaheen Shah Afridi on the first ball. After that, he hit him again, and then hit another terrific six. He thrashed Afridi. The guy's name is Abhishek Sharma. Since he started playing, he has been a revelation. He bats explosively, but is he the best T20 opener in the world?" he said (0:01).

Chopra added that Abhishek bats destructively irrespective of the match situation.

"He hasn't played for long, has scored 30-odd runs in the last two matches, but when he scores, he jolts everyone. He makes the match one-sided in a jiffy. Whether he is chasing 50 or 200, or batting first, he bats in the same fashion, and he is absolutely stellar," he observed.

Reflecting on Abhishek Sharma's knock against Pakistan, Aakash Chopra highlighted that the 25-year-old hit Shaheen Shah Afridi, whom he was facing for the first time, out of the game. He added that Abhishek's innings allowed Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav to bat at a run-a-ball for the majority of their innings.

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"Stats are incredible" - Aakash Chopra on Abhishek Sharma's T20I numbers

Abhishek Sharma has scored 596 runs at a strike rate of 195.40 in 18 T20I innings. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that Abhishek Sharma has the best strike rate among all T20I openers who have played at least 100 balls since his debut.

"Stats are incredible. Hold your breath, he has a strike rate of (nearly) 200. He has hit two centuries, one of which came against England, and two half-centuries. He is incredible. He has scored consistently at a strike rate of 200, and we are not talking about weak teams. He has played some decent opposition and his playing style hasn't changed against them," he said (4:00).

The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that Abhishek has a slightly better strike rate than Travis Head, who has played fewer games.

"Travis Head is in the second spot. He has played eight games. He has an average of 26 and a strike rate of 194. He hasn't scored a century, and the sample size is half, but Travis Head plays the way he does. He keeps hitting," Chopra observed.

While acknowledging that Phil Salt, who occupies the fourth spot, behind Sanju Samson, in terms of strike rate, has a slightly better average, Chopra added that Abhishek isn't too far behind.

"After that, Sanju Samson is in the third spot. Sanju has scored 417 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 182 and an average of nearly 35. Phil Salt comes at No. 4. He has also scored two centuries. He has an average of 40 and a strike rate of 178. He might be slightly ahead when you see the combination of average and strike rate, but Abhishek Sharma is not lagging in any way," he stated.

The analyst added that Yashasvi Jaiswal, who isn't even part of India's Asia Cup 2025 squad, has the fifth-best strike rate as an opener.

"After that, Yashasvi Jaiswal is in the fifth spot. Sanju is at least playing, but his name is not even in the squad. Yashasvi has played only six matches, but has scored at an average of 44 and a strike rate of 170. If three of the top five openers are Indians, you start feeling where Indian cricket has reached," Chopra noted.

To conclude, Aakash Chopra highlighted that Indian cricket has reached a different level, with Abhishek Sharma being the torchbearer. He pointed out that the Punjab opener isn't scared of getting out, adding that the youngster's job should be to continue hitting and not get swayed by views suggesting that he should look to score seventies instead of thirties.