Former Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane heaped praise on Abhishek Sharma after India secured a six-wicket win against New Zealand in the third T20I at the Hnry Stadium, Wellington, on Tuesday. Abhishek completed his fifty off just 15 balls as he was able to hit the ground running in the Powerplay overs, in which India posted 118 runs.

The left-hander eventually went on to score a magnum opus knock of 113 runs off 38 balls, including nine fours and 11 sixes. This is Abhishek’s fourth T20I century as he once again proved his mettle.

The southpaw added 133 runs off just 43 balls with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who scored 45 runs off just 19 balls, for the opening alliance.

“He has developed his game so much. It seems like he comes into every innings after learning a lot. He spoke about meditation and being calm. He is calm on the inside but doubly aggressive on the outside,” Ajinkya Rahane said on Sony Sports.

“It’s extremely enjoyable, and he learns. We have played a few matches together for Indian Oil. His attitude has always been to learn something from every player. He has never become complacent, and when you are eager to learn, you see this consistency,” he added.

Rahane highlighted that Sharma treated every ball like a free hit after he reached his century off just 35 balls.

“It’s an extremely special moment for him. Every ball was a free hit for him. When the actual free hit came, he played like that only,” he said.

The former Indian captain said Sharma is able to instil confidence in the middle-order batters with his consistency.

“We were talking about his celebration. When you are calm on the inside and your brain is calm, you can achieve this thing repeatedly. The way Abhishek played and the consistency he is showing, when an opener plays like this, the incoming batters get a different confidence,” Rahane observed.

The fourth T20I between India and New Zealand will be played at Eden Park, Auckland, on Friday.