Asia Cup: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson Eye Record-Breaking Feats Ahead Of Final With Pakistan Khaleej Times

India's in-form opener Abhishek Sharma and wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson are both on the cusp of creating history as Team India gears up for the high-stakes Asia Cup final against Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday.

Sharma on the brink of two records

The youngster's explosive run with the bat has put him within touching distance of eclipsing records held by T20I greats Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Pakistan's Mohammed Rizwan.

Heading into the tournament, there was excitement about Abhishek Sharma, as he had delivered several strong performances in two seasons in the Indian Premier League (IPL), pairing alongside Australian all-format star Travis Head. The two delivered skyrocketing starts for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

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Abhishek has scored the most runs in the Asia Cup, with 309 runs at an average of 51.50 and a strike rate of 204.63, including three fifties and a best score of 75, all of which came in succession during the Super Four stage.

He stands just 11 runs away from breaking Virat Kohli's record of most runs by an Indian during a multi-nation T20I tournament.

Also, Abhishek is just 23 runs away from torching England opener Phil Salt's record for most runs by a batter from a Test-playing nation in a T20I tournament or series. Back in 2023, during a tour to the West Indies, Salt had smashed 331 runs in five T20Is at an average of 82.75 and a strike rate of 185.95, with two centuries and a best score of 119.

Abhishek is tied with Rohit Sharma (November 2021 to February 2022) and Rizwan (April to October 2021) for most successive 30-plus scores in T20s, with a total of seven such scores; another 30-plus score could help him leapfrog these two stars.

This year in T20I, Abhishek has delivered aggression and consistency, with 588 runs in 11 matches at an average of 53.45 and a strike rate of 211.51, with a century and four fifties.

His overall stats in T20Is include 844 runs in 23 matches and 22 innings at an average of 38.36, with a strike rate of 197.65, with two centuries and five fifties and a best score of 135.

Samson to surpass Dhoni, Pant?

The wicketkeeper-batter has already impressed with his performances, and a substantial knock in the summit clash against Pakistan could see him surpass the achievements of MS Dhoni and Rishabh Pant in multi-nation T20I tournaments.

During the ongoing tournament, Samson has scored 108 runs in three innings, averaging 36.00 and striking at 127.05, with a half-century and a best score of 56 against Oman. He has batted at the fifth spot two times, scoring 13 and 39. His half-century came at the number three spot. During this tournament, he has not played at the opening spot, which gave his career a new lease of life last year, as vice-captain Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma are at the top, and the rest of the batting order has been flexible.

With 64 more runs, he could outdo Pant to have the best-ever T20I multi-nation tournament by an Indian wicketkeeper-batter ever. During the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, Pant was one of India's prominent performers, with 171 runs in eight innings at an average of 24.42 and a strike rate of 127.61, with a best score of 42.

At the second spot is Dhoni, who delivered a solid title-winning ICC T20 World Cup 2007 campaign with the bat, scoring 154 runs in six innings at an average of 30.80 and a strike rate of 128.33, with a best score of 45, which included a vital 36 against Australia in the semifinals.

Samson is just 31 runs away from reaching the milestone of 1,000 T20I runs, having made 969 runs in 48 matches and 41 innings at an average of 26.18, with a strike rate of over 149, including three centuries and three fifties, with a best score of 111.

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