India opener Abhishek Sharma was left stunned after learning that Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood will not feature in the remaining matches of the ongoing five-match T20I series.
Speaking after India’s defeat in the second T20I at the MCG, Abhishek praised Hazlewood’s fiery spell that dismantled India’s top order and admitted he had “never seen something like this in T20s.”
Hazlewood removed Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma inside the powerplay, conceding just 13 runs in four overs.
Abhishek, who thrives on attacking from ball one, said the Aussie seamer’s precision and relentless length surprised him and forced him to rethink his approach.
When informed during the press conference that Hazlewood will leave the squad to prepare for first-class cricket ahead of the Ashes, Abhishek reacted in disbelief, saying he was “enjoying the challenge” of facing a bowler of his class.
Despite his aggressive reputation, Abhishek has managed only 17 runs off 12 balls against Hazlewood in the series so far.
