"Very Bindaas Character Off The Field": Ajinkya Rahane On India Star, Not Rohit Sharma Or Hardik Pandya

Former India batter Ajinkya Rahane heaped praise on opener Abhishek Sharma following his historic knock against Afghanistan in the third T20I. The Indian opener smashed 108 off 34 balls in the game while racing to the fastest century in the format by a player from a Test-playing nation. Abhishek reached the mark in just 30 balls. His knock included nine fours and 11 sixes. As a result of his terrific innings, India outplayed Afghanistan by 127 runs in the final match to complete a clean sweep of the three-match T20I series.

Rahane also praised Abhishek's behaviour off the field and called him a "bindaas" character. He added that the swashbuckling batter carries the same intensity on the field as well.

"As much as I know Abhishek, I don't think he would be looking to prove anything to anyone. I think he probably wanted to prove to himself how he can get better. He is a very bindaas character off the field. I think the same character comes on the field too," Rahane said on his YouTube channel.

"This will happen in the sport. People will talk if you do well or don't do well. Abhishek is a mature player and batter who knows that the outside noise will continue forever," he added.

Abhishek's record T20I century set up a crushing win for India on Thursday. His knock guided India to 221/7 at New Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium. Sanju Samson also helped India's cause with a 35-ball 50.

Afghanistan, who were the official hosts for the series, checked the opposition surge after Abhishek departed for 108 off 34 balls and India slipped from 142/1 in 10 overs. However, the Afghan batters once again disappointed and were bowled out for 94 in 14.1 overs.

For India, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ravi Bishnoi were the pick of the bowlers, with three wickets each.

The Shreyas Iyer-led Indian team will now be seen in action in a one-off T20I against Japan on September 22 before starting its Asian Games 2026 campaign from the quarterfinals.

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