"It Was Something New for Me..": Abhishek Sharma Praises Australian Pacer After Intense Battle

India batter Abhishek Sharma has already faced and beaten many top players in world cricket early in his career. He has quickly reached the top of the ICC T20I rankings and holds a record rating. Still, he couldn’t believe what he saw from fast bowler Josh Hazlewood in the second T20I against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday.

Hazlewood bowled four overs with the new ball, taking three wickets and giving away only 13 runs at an economy rate of 3.2. His spell caused India to collapse to 49/5 in eight overs. If not for Abhishek’s brilliant 68 runs off 37 balls, India wouldn’t have come close to their final score of 125 all out.

The left-hander faced Hazlewood for only four balls and scored six runs, which included a lucky boundary past the wicketkeeper.

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Abhishek Sharma Praises Hazlewood’s Bowling Masterclass

“I was watching him in the ODIs too, so we knew he would challenge us,” Abhishek said in the post-match press conference after Australia chased down the target with four wickets in hand. “But the way he bowled today even surprised me. I haven’t seen something like this in T20s. It was something new for me as a batter who always wants to attack. But he had a plan, and he executed it perfectly,” he added.

Enjoying the Challenge

When asked if he was relieved that Hazlewood would not play the remaining matches to prepare for the 2025–26 Ashes, Abhishek smiled and said, “Oh, is he? I didn’t know that. But yes, he is good enough to play all formats. Still, I was enjoying this challenge because as a batter, you have to face world-class bowlers, and that’s what I was trying to do,” he added.

Watch the now-viral reaction here:

Australia lead the series 1–0 after a washout in Canberra and a win in Melbourne. The third T20I will be played on Sunday in Hobart.