Aiden Markram heaps praise on Abhishek Sharma
India and South Africa set to engage in 5-match T20I series, starting tonight
Read Markram's full reaction
Abhishek Sharma is a batter with a target on his back. Known for giving his teams flying starts, the young India opener was singled out as the "big wicket" for South Africa by captain Aiden Markram ahead of their first T20I match at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack, on Tuesday, December 9, 2025.
"I've played with Abhi before at Sunrisers, a great guy and bats really well, so no doubt it's a big wicket for us," Markram said on the eve of the match. He was part of the Sunrisers set-up in the Indian Premier League and SA20: from 2022 to 2024 with SRH, and 2023 to 2025 with Sunrisers Eastern Cape. Sharma, meanwhile, has been with SRH since 2019.
Sharma made his international debut in July 2024, and of all the batters to have scored 1000 runs in T20Is, he has the best strike rate, at 189.51 (1012 runs in 29 matches).
"Whoever takes the new ball, that's a challenge to hopefully get him early. He is a match-winner, and it's an important wicket for us." Markram added. The 31-year-old has been retained by Lucknow Super Giants ahead of the IPL 2026.
Abhishek Sharma's Rich Form
The left-handed batter arrives for the South Africa series in sensational form. In the five Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches, the Punjab batter scored 6 vs Haryana, 148 vs Bengal, 50 vs Baroda, 34 vs Puducherry, and 62 vs Services.
He was also India's top scorer during the tour of Australia, with 163 runs in five innings, helping the team win the five-match T20I series 2-1.
Talking about modern T20 batting, the Proteas skipper elaborated: "It's probably just the fearlessness -- being given complete licence to take the game on from ball one."
"Some players, you almost just want them to spread their wings and take the game on. If they come off, the team is in a really strong position. The game is moving in that direction."
The Cuttack encounter marks Abhishek Sharma's fifth outing against the Proteas, and has scores of 7, 4, 50, and 36 -- all in South Africa.
When And Where To Watch India Vs South Africa 1st T20I?
The 1st of the 5-match T20I series at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack can be live streamed on the JioHotstar app/website as well as the Star Sports network.
