Anil Kumble Heaps Praise On Abhishek Sharma's Fearless Approach, Draws Comparison To Virender Sehwag: 'He Would Look To Smash Every Ball'

IPL 2026: Former cricketer Anil Kumble showered praise on star Indian batter Abhishek Sharma’s fearless batting style ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.

Abhishek Sharma is currently enduring a lean patch in T20Is. In the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026, the 25-year-old played eight matches, scoring 141 runs at a strike rate of 158.42 and an average of 17.62. Despite struggling throughout the prestigious ICC event, Abhishek shone in the summit clash. The Indian opener smashed 52 runs off 21 balls at a strike rate of 247.61, helping the Men in Blue clinch the historic T20 World Cup title.

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Anil Kumble Lauds Abhishek Sharma's Batting Approach

Speaking on Star Sports, Kumble said he sees shades of Virender Sehwag in Abhishek, noting the youngster’s aggressive intent.

“I would relate him to someone like Virender Sehwag, because he would look to smash every ball. When he moved from Test cricket to one-day cricket and then to T20 cricket, he realised that he had to pace his innings slightly differently. But Virender Sehwag would still go at a 140–150 strike rate,” Kumble said.

Kumble also advised Abhishek to face more deliveries, pointing out that the left-hander is already batting at a strike rate of 200. He suggested that Abhishek should show maturity similar to Sanju Samson.

“That’s something Abhishek Sharma needs to start thinking about—saying, ‘I’ve been scoring at a 200 strike rate, expectations are on me, should I now go at a strike rate of 300?’ No, you just have to be normal. You have to play a number of balls. If Abhishek Sharma bats 20 balls in an innings, we know he will be close to that 50 mark. We saw that with Sanju Samson—not getting out in the 40s or 50s, but making it count by going deeper, getting to that 85–90 mark. That’s what you need in the T20 format. Maybe that’s the kind of maturity you will see in Abhishek Sharma this season, which SRH will be hoping for,” he added.

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Here's How Abhishek Sharma Performed In IPL

Abhishek Sharma has played 46 T20Is, scoring 1438 runs in 45 innings at a strike rate of 190.46 and an average of 33.44.

In the IPL, he has featured in 77 matches, scoring 1816 runs in 74 innings at a strike rate of 163.01 and an average of 27.10. In IPL 2025, the left-handed batter played 14 matches, amassing 439 runs at a strike rate of 193.39 and an average of 33.76.