Abhishek Sharma's 'flawless' ton against Afghanistan impresses Shreyas Iyer
What's the story
India's captain Shreyas Iyer has praised the young opener Abhishek Sharma for his stunning century in the third T20I against Afghanistan. The match, played at Arun Jaitley Stadium, saw India win by 127 runs and complete a clean sweep of the three-match series. Iyer called Abhishek's performance "flawless," especially considering the challenging conditions on the day.
Record-breaking feat
Abhishek breaks records with lightning-fast T20I century
Abhishek's innings of 108 runs came off just 34 balls, including nine fours and 11 sixes.
The knock was lauded by a standout crowd at the stadium after he was dismissed in the 10th over.
His explosive innings broke former India captain Rohit Sharma's record for the fastest T20I hundred by an Indian men's batter, as well as the fastest-ever hundred by a batter from a Test-playing country in this format.
Captain's praise
'Pleasing to the eye': Iyer on Abhishek's knock
Iyer praised Abhishek for his "flawless" innings on a difficult pitch.
"It wasn't an easy wicket, but the way Abhishek played today was flawless, and it was just pleasing to the eye," said Iyer after India's massive win.
The India captain also revealed he had planned to bat first after a brief chat with Afghanistan skipper Ibrahim Zadran before the toss.
All-rounder appreciation
Axar Patel also praised by Iyer for brilliant spell
Iyer also praised veteran all-rounder Axar Patel for his brilliant spell of 2-9 in three overs.
He said, "He's done it in the past, he's doing it now, and he's got immense experience."
The India captain emphasized that Axar knows when to deliver in a critical situation and has been performing consistently over the years.
Zadran
Zadran's call for more high-profile fixtures
Zadran, who took over as Afghanistan's T20I captain from Rashid Khan after this year's T20 World Cup, called for more high-profile fixtures and an emphasis on player fitness.
He said, "It was the first series for us after the T20 World Cup. So we need to play more games, more series, especially against the bigger teams."
He added that while they play against Zimbabwe and Ireland, they need to work on their skills and fitness to compete with top teams consistently.