It was a sheer exhibition of brute force from Abhishek Sharma who slammed a blistering 79 off 34 to power India to one of the biggest wins against England in T20I cricket (In terms of balls). India’s young star has been raising a few eyebrows with his swashbuckling hitting. Abhishek has endured a prolific run in the last couple of years in the IPL and his entry to the Indian T20I side has been justified by his recent exploits in the domestic arena.
Abhishek reveals his pep talk with captains and coaches
Following India’s crushing win against England at the Eden Gardens, Abhishek revealed that his captains and coaches have long advised him not to tinker with his style of play. Hence, as a result, Abhishek has maintained his aggressive style of batting. He further added that such a mindset has allowed him to play with a lot of freedom in recent times.
"I have thought always from the start to be a team player. In India, there will always be a lot of competition [when it comes to selection] in our senior team. But when Suryakumar [Yadav, the T20I captain] and Gautam [Gambhir] paaji tell me to always keep my intent, that was a big moment for me, that when the team wants me to do that, then I can do it.”
Yuvraj played a crucial role during his formative years at SRH
Right through his career, Abhishek has been fortunate enough to work closely with renowned specialist batters, especially from the SRH camp. Figures like Yuvraj Singh and even the legendary Brian Lara worked closely on his batting and he credits them for not only working on his technique but also giving him the freedom to express himself.
"I believe I'm very lucky in this," he said. "I was working with Yuvi paaji [Yuvraj Singh] at first. Going forward, I had Brian Lara, who really helped me at SRH. Moving forward, Dan Vettori was pretty simple, he just wanted everyone to express themselves, and I think that gave me the freedom to play my shots. So obviously, with Yuvraj Singh, Brian Lara and even Gauti bhai right now, they just want me to showcase my talent the way I play and to back myself."
India’s next T20I encounter against England is lined up for January 25 in Chennai. The host nation has taken an early 1-0 thanks to a remarkable demolition job from the spin combo of Varun Chakravarthy & Axar Patel and the swashbuckling Abhishek Sharma. With the Indian top order firing on all cylinders, the tourists will have to muster a lot of courage to stage a spirited fightback in this series.
