Pakistan pacer throws open challenge at Abhishek Sharma, conveniently forgets Asia Cup heroics: ‘3 ball me out kardunga’

The soundbite, posted by Pakistani outlets and re-shared widely, has kicked off the king of India-Pakistan back-and-forth that refuses to sleep. Ihshanullah said, “Abhishek Sharma mere samne 6 ball se zyada nahi tik payenga. Main usse teen ball mein out kar doonga.”

Who is Ihsanullah, and what has he done so far?

Ihsanullah is a 6’5” right-arm fast bowler who grabbed attention with his headline spell of 5/12 for Multan Sultans in 2023. The season turned out to be a dream one for him as he grabbed the PSL Player of the Tournament and Bowler of the Tournament honours. His pace, which mostly averaged north of 144kph, touching 154.5kph in that spell, was the center point of discussion.

As far as his international career is concerned, he debuted for Pakistan in both T20Is and ODIs in 2023. The journey for him at the highest level has since been of the stop-start kind. An elbow issue troubled him in 2023-24 and put Pakistan’s medical setup under scrutiny. Much of his comeback has centered around off-field drama, including his headline-grabbing vow to boycott PSL after going unsold in the 2025 draft. But apparently, none of this has dimmed his belief in himself, and for that matter, his mouth.

Why has Abhishek Sharma caught Ihsanullah’s eye?

Abhishek Sharma emerged as the biggest nemesis of Pakistan in the recently concluded Asia Cup 2025. He didn’t just score runs, he torched them. In the group stage game, Sharma played a blazing knock of 31 runs off 13 deliveries, finishing it off as a competition.

Pakistan thought that the law of averages would catch up to Sharma, giving them respite in the Super Four match. However, that did not happen as he slammed 74 runs off 39 deliveries in the group stage match, setting up India’s six-wicket win with seven balls to spare.

India then defeated Pakistan for the third time in the tournament in the summit clash. Even though Sharma failed to play a decisive role in that game, his performance throughout the journey earned him the Player of the Series award. The on-field storyline was matched by off-field friction, but the cricketing bottom line was clear: Abhishek Sharma dominated the tournament and Pakistan were on the receiving end twice.

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