"He is a storm, a flood, and a tsunami" - Aakash Chopra lauds Abhishek Sharma's knock in IND vs OMA Asia Cup 2025 clash

Former India player Aakash Chopra has lauded Abhishek Sharma for giving the Men in Blue a flying start in their Asia Cup 2025 clash against Oman. He noted that the opener's destructive knock made a slightly difficult pitch seem batting-friendly.

Abhishek Sharma smashed 38 runs off 15 balls as India set Oman a 189-run target in their Asia Cup 2025 Group A clash in Abu Dhabi on Friday, September 19. The defending champions then restricted Jatinder Singh and company to 167/4 to register a 21-run win.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener praised Abhishek for playing an explosive knock.

"Abhishek Sharma, how well he plays. All of us talk about the template and a new brand of cricket. This pitch wasn't that batting-friendly, but when Abhishek Sharma was playing, it never felt like that. He scored 38 runs off 15 balls. He goes at a strike rate of 253. He is brilliant and how. He is a storm, a flood, and a tsunami," he said (2:40).

Chopra added that the left-handed opener's assault allowed the other Indian batters to take their time.

"He allows all others to breathe peacefully. Until Abhishek Sharma's bat is firing, no one will question the others even if they play steadily. However, the story can change the day he gets out. It's been three matches, he hasn't reached fifty in any of those, but each of his knocks has been impactful. If there had been an impact index, he would have been found at No. 1," he observed.

Abhishek Sharma's 38-run knock, which came at a strike rate of 253.33, was studded with five fours and two sixes. Axar Patel, who scored 26 runs off 13 balls at a strike rate of 200.00, was the only other Indian batter to score at a rate of more than 165 runs per 100 balls.

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"The expectation was that he would take to it like fish to water" - Aakash Chopra on Shubman Gill's failure in IND vs OMA Asia Cup 2025 clash

Shubman Gill was dismissed cheaply in India's Asia Cup 2025 clash against Oman. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma's opening partner, hasn't lived up to expectations in the Asia Cup 2025 thus far.

"Shubman Gill hasn't scored runs thus far. This tournament has been sort of cold thus far. We have started seeing him in a new role and the expectation was that he would take to it like fish to water. However, it hasn't been that seamless," he said (3:35).

While observing that Gill has had different modes of dismissals in his last two innings, the cricketer-turned-commentator expressed hope about the Indian vice-captain firing in the Super Fours.

"Sanju Samson was given that spot. He had scored three centuries, but there is no place for him there now. Gill is opening. Gill is looking good while batting, but hasn't scored runs thus far. He got out to an incoming delivery. This is not a good thing. He got stumped off an away-going delivery in the last match. I am expecting a lot more from Gill in the Super Fours," Chopra elaborated.

Shubman Gill scored five runs off eight deliveries and was castled by Shah Faisal with an incoming delivery. Sanju Samson, who used to partner Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order, top-scored for India with a 45-ball 56 while batting at No. 3 in Friday's game.

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Edited by Kartik Iyer