In Abhishek Sharma, India found a perfect opener to adapt to the changing demands of a fickle format and strip away the conservatism that stunted previous generations. But there’s always the element of risk involved in his ultra-aggressive approach.
After a forgettable debut when he was dismissed for a duck, the young left-hander showed his class with a breezy century to power India to a series-levelling win in the second T20I on Sunday. His 47-ball 100 in the second T20I at the Harare Sports Club involved an early survival when he was dropped on 27 by Wellington Masakadza.
The lifeline instilled a sense of responsibility in the young Punjab left-hander, who thanked his father for allowing him to put those glory shots out of the park right from the word go, during his formative years.
“After that (drop) I thought it was my day. (I felt) I should take a bit of responsibility. Rutu (raj Gaikwad) was saying that it was a bit difficult to hit the fast bowlers, so we have to be a bit mindful. I felt that he was making sense. So, if you see, I didn’t play much shots to (Jongwe). Just tried to get to the other end. That helped a lot,” Abhishek said reflecting on his knock.
The youngster got to his hundred with three consecutive sixes, prompting comparisons with Rohit Sharma at the post-match press conference but the southpaw is happy to execute his skills.
“If you look at me, you wouldn’t think I’m one (Sixer King). Special mention to my dad. A lot of kids’ coaches don’t allow players to play big shots, but he always told me that if I’m playing a lofted shot, it should go out of the boundary. So since childhood, I’ve felt that if I can execute a confirmed shot, then I just want to go and express myself even if it’s the first or the second ball.”
“My mindset was like the one I had in the IPL and domestic cricket. It was all about the execution. It was better than (Saturday). As a batter, I thought about all the balls I played, it wasn’t many, and I was calculating the risk I should take on the first over or if I should just play according to the ball. I think that execution went really well today,” he added.
Abhishek raced from 41 off 30 to 100 off 47, the joint third-fastest hundred for India in T20Is.
A protege of India’s World Cup winning star Yuvraj Singh, Abhishek received accolades from his mentor, who felt that the century marks the beginning of a promising future for the gifted left-handed batter.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day! Congratulations @IamAbhiSharma4 on the journey to your first International 100! Many more to come,” Yuvraj said.
Jaiswal vs Abhishek competition great for the game: Flower
With the century, Abhishek has already made a big statement to stake claim for a place in the T20I set-up, but he will face tough competition to retain his opener’s slot once Yashavi Jaiswal joins the side for the final three T20Is against Zimbabwe.
Jaiswal was part of the T20 World Cup-winning squad in Barbados, but he didn’t get any match to play in the tournament and he will be raring to get back to the cricket field in the last three T20Is against Zimbabwe.
Former Zimbabwe cricketer and acclaimed coach Andy Flower asserted that with India entering the transition phase, Jaiswal vs Abhishek for the opening slot is the competition that everyone is looking out for.
“Well, we have got Jaiswal still coming into the series, haven’t we? So that sort of competition is exactly what the Indian selectors and all the Indian followers are looking for. It makes it really interesting and it’s great for the Indian game if they have got lots of options like that,” Flower said.
Flower was elated with Abhishek converting his incredible IPL 2024 form to international cricket.
“He should be confident at the moment coming off such a great IPL and then getting a hundred in his second international match. So what a great start. It’s really important to get those runs as a young player because confidence and self-belief are so important to your chance of doing well. So I am very happy for him and I am looking forward to seeing more of him in this series,” Flower elaborated.