India, Jan. 24 -- Swashbuckling India opener Abhishek Sharma said he has been following the aggressive template set by former skipper Rohit Sharma in T20I powerplays after being encouraged to do so by head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav. Having made his T20I debut in July 2024, Abhishek's minute-a-mile batting approach has helped him take the No. 1 spot in the ICC rankings for batters in that format.

In 34 matches so far, he has cracked two tons and seven fifties to score 1199 runs at a strike rate of 190.92. "Rohit bhai has done a lot for the country. There is always pressure because of the starts he used to give in the powerplay," Abhishek told JioHotstar when asked about Rohit's influence on him. "When I came into t...