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Aiden Markram calls Abhishek Sharma a giant wicket for South Africa within the T20I opener at Barabati Stadium.
Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma pose for photo with a ‘trophy’ after India’s win in Asia Cup 2025 final. (Picture Credit: Instagram)
South African star Aiden Markram said that Indian opening batter Abhishek Sharma can be a ‘big wicket’ for his team, posing a pleasant challenge for whoever takes the brand new ball within the five-match T20I series opener on the Barabati Stadium on Tuesday (December 9).
Abhishek is the top-ranked T20 batter on this planet with a record rating. He’s the highest run-scorer for India within the format with 1499 runs, while nobody within the top-150 scorers of the 12 months can higher his strike-rate of 204.22.
“I’ve played with Abhi before at Sunrisers (the Hyderabad franchise within the IPL), an important guy and bats very well, so little question it’s a giant wicket for us,” Markram said on the eve of the primary T20I. “Whoever takes the brand new ball, that’s a challenge to hopefully get him early. He’s a match-winner and it’s a vital wicket for us.”
Markram also attempted to clarify the trend of so many kids coming into international cricket as seasoned hard-hitters.
“It’s probably just the fearlessness — being given complete licence to take the sport on from ball one. Some players you almost just want them to spread their wings and take the sport on. In the event that they come off, the team is in a very strong position. The sport is moving in that direction. The younger guys coming through naturally are playing that way because that’s entertainment but it surely’s also opportunities for them to get into leagues and play T20 cricket for his or her country. They find yourself doing a little really cool things,” he said.
‘A component of wanting to impress’
Speaking of leagues, the IPL auction is scheduled for December 16 in Abu Dhabi. Would the Proteas player see this series as an audition?
“Some guys are within the auction and there could possibly be a component of wanting to impress. But that’s definitely not the important reason we’re here. If the team does well, naturally individuals profit and that’s the additional bonus,” Markram said.
Click here so as to add News18 as your selected news source on Google. December 08, 2025, 20:15 IST
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