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Former India opener and renowned commentator Aakash Chopra has heaped praise on World No.1 batter Abhishek Sharma for his breathtaking display of power hitting in the third T20I against New Zealand, explaining the quality and difficulty of the shots he played, especially the trademark jump-hit sixes off fast bowlers. 

In a dominant display of range-hitting, India chased down a modest total thanks to a blistering innings that allowed them to keep pressure on the Black Caps throughout the chase. Chopra, emphasising Abhishek’s style of play, highlighted how technically demanding the batter’s shots were and how impressive it is to execute them under pressure at the international level. 

"Let's talk about Abhishek Sharma. How well he plays. A six off the first ball and then he kept hitting sixes. He jumps to the leg side and hits sixes on the off side. It's difficult to jump and hit sixes," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

Chopra underlined that while stepping out and hitting sixes to fast bowlers has become more common in white-ball cricket, consistently clearing the boundary against quality pace bowling is no easy feat. 

"It's difficult to place the ball after jumping because when you step out to a fast bowler, you have already made up your mind before the ball is released, and you have made your movement. So, the bowler bowls at your body at times and goes far on other occasions, but he is deciding where to hit. Where do you bowl to him? How do you bowl to him? No idea. He is the best in the world right now, there is no doubt about it," he concluded.

The innings helped India to chase down the total in just 10 overs, contributing to a comprehensive victory that helped India clinch the five-match T20I series. 

After the dominant performance, India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav heaped praises on his team. Reacting to India’s dominant batting display, the 35-year-old revealed that this is the brand of cricket the Men in Blue want to play going forward. 

“I think we've spoken about this. This is the brand of cricket which we want to play, irrespective we are batting first or chasing. Of course, for example, if we are 20 for 3 or 40 for 4 tomorrow, we know how to bat. But if you want to play a different brand of cricket, then I think this is the best way going forward,” said Suryakumar during the post-match presentation.

With the series already won, the next two matches will provide India a chance to experiment and work on a few things ahead of the 2026T20 World Cup.