Former Indian national cricket team player Piyush Chawla was delighted with the way Abhishek Sharma batted in the first T20I against England national cricket team. He called the batsman the X factor and said the batsman needs a longer rope in the team.
Abhishek Sharma played a big role for the Indian National Cricket Team in their 7-wicket win over the England National Cricket Team in the first T20I. The first match of the five-match series between the teams was played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Abhishek made the chase for 133 looks so easy as he went after the bowlers right from the start. He played high-risk cricket and some breathtaking shots, hitting bowlers all over the park. The left-hander displayed a strokeplay ‘like Yuvraj’ and entertained the crowd.
Abhishek Sharma sharply hit his third century for India
Abhishek scored his third century for the Indian national cricket team and what was impressive was that he reached the milestone in just 20 balls. He registered the second-fastest half-century by an Indian batsman against England in T20Is, joining Yuvraj Singh, who achieved the feat in just 12 balls.
Abhishek finished with an innings of 79 off just 34 balls to go with 5 fours and 8 sixes, batting at a strike rate of over 232. Thanks to his brilliant effort with the bat, he helped the Indian national cricket team chase down the target in 13 overs and connect 1-0 in the series.
You have to give these guys a longer rope – Piyush Chawal on Abhishek Sharma
Piyush Chawla called Abhishek a ‘high-risk batsman’ and said that batsmen like him need a longer rope. He also spoke about the batsman’s mindset and explained in an interview with Jio Cinema:
“Abhishek Sharma is a high-risk batsman. When he scores runs in a game, it will be a match-winning innings. Abhishek is an X-factor player; if he scores 60 runs, he will score it in 20-22 balls. You have to give these guys a longer rope.
“He got off to a slow start today but he got to his 50 in just 20 balls. It shows the mindset he has and the range he has. He uses long levers and plays big shots.”
I thought he was methodical in his approach today – Parthiv Patel on Abhishek Sharma
Parthiv Patel, who was also part of the discussion, said Abhishek was methodical in his approach. He said that even though he had a few setbacks on his back, he played with the same method and stuck to his method.
He added that usually with batsmen, when the scores are low for the batsmen, they tend to go into a shell, but Abhishek Sharma didn’t do that and his mindset was the same.
“There was definitely a question mark at his place, given that he didn’t have too much form. But I thought he was methodical in his approach today. I thought England’s bowlers missed a trick by not using the bouncers early against Abhishek Sharma. But that’s how he plays,”
“What I really like about Sharma is that even though he hasn’t scored a run, he has stuck to his game plan. That’s something he has done in the IPL and while playing for India. He got a hundred against Zimbabwe .. He he hasn’t changed his approach, when you don’t get runs, he might go back into his shell and try to get 30-40, but I thought Abhishek Sharma didn’t do that, so that’s a good sign as far as his mindset is concerned.”
Also read: Shocking! Varun Chakravarthy gives a strange assessment after heroics in 1st IND vs ENG T20I
