Overview
- Pietersen posted on X that he is "not surprised" by Sharma's rise and called him "fearless, courageous and talented."
- Sharma collected back-to-back honors with Player of the Series against Australia after being named Asia Cup 2025 Player of the Tournament.
- He reached 1,000 T20I runs in 528 balls during the fifth T20I at the Gabba, the fastest by a batter from a full-member nation, surpassing Suryakumar Yadav (573) and Phil Salt (599).
- The opener topped India's scoring in the Australia series with 163 runs in five innings at 40.75 and a 161.39 strike rate, including a best of 68 in Melbourne.
- Now ranked No. 1 in ICC T20I batting, he has 1,012 runs in 29 matches at an average of 37.48 and a 189.51 strike rate, and he is slated to play South Africa from December 9.