How SRH’s backing of Abhishek Sharma as an opener helped him break into India’s T20I team

Abhishek Sharma [Source: AFP]

India new explosive opener, Abhishek Sharma, has taken the T20I world by storm. Batting with fearless aggression, especially in the powerplay, he has been striking at a jaw-dropping rate of nearly 195. In a short span, he has turned into one of the most destructive openers for India in T20 cricket.

But here’s the interesting part: Abhishek was never an opener in the early stages of his career.

Abhishek first came into the limelight in 2018, as part of India’s U-19 World Cup-winning squad. At that time, he was mainly a middle-order batter. Later, he got his IPL debut with Delhi Capitals the same year. He started with a promising 46* on debut but failed to make much impact in the next few innings. Playing in the middle order, he couldn’t settle in, scoring just 63 runs in 3 matches in 2018.

When he moved to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2019, his story slowly began to change. Though he contributed occasionally with his left-arm spin, his batting numbers in the middle order were not very impressive: just 9 runs in 2019 and 71 runs in 2020.

SRH’s Trust In Abhishek Sharma As An Opener

In 2021, SRH tried something different. They experimented by pushing Abhishek to open the batting. At first, the results weren’t extraordinary. He averaged only 16.33 in 2021 and 30.43 in 2022. But instead of dropping him back to the middle order, SRH kept faith. They believed he had the talent to succeed at the top. That faith paid off massively.

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By 2023, he started showing consistency, striking at almost 144, and then in 2024, everything clicked. Partnering with the explosive Travis Head, Abhishek batted with freedom and aggression, smashing 484 runs at an unbelievable strike rate of 204.22. The pair even guided SRH to the IPL 2024 final, although they narrowly lost to KKR.

In 2025, SRH retained him for a massive ₹14 crore contract, showing how valuable he had become to the franchise. And he repaid them with another brilliant season: 439 runs at a strike rate of nearly 194.

Why Opening Suited Abhishek Perfectly

The numbers clearly shows his transformation. As a middle-order batter in the IPL, his returns were modest. But as an opener, he has thrived.

Abhishek Sharma’s IPL batting record by position:

• As opener: 51 innings, 1491 runs, Avg 29.82, SR 165.67
• In middle order (No. 4–7): 20 innings, 228 runs, Avg 15.2, SR around 135

[This table represents Abhishek Sharma's batting position in IPL]

The difference is massive. Opening gave him the license to play his natural attacking game right from ball one, instead of trying to rebuild in the middle overs.

This change in role directly helped him break into India’s setup. Since making his T20I debut in 2024, Abhishek has already smashed 783 runs in just 21 innings at a strike rate of 197.72, including 2 centuries and 4 fifties. That’s world-class performance.

Abhishek Sharma’s rise is a story of patience and backing from SRH. Instead of judging him by his failures in the middle order, they saw the potential in him as an opener and stuck with him through ups and downs. That gamble turned him into one of the most dangerous openers in world cricket today, and it also earned him a well-deserved place at the top of India’s T20I batting order.

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