The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) pitch for the second T20I between India and Australia on Friday had every Indian batter on their toes but it was only opener Abhishek Sharma who found a way to navigate the pacers and score another dashing fifty.
Constricted in the first match that was washed out in Canberra, Abhishek made subtle adjustments to his batting to help India save the blushes partly before Australia romped home comfortably in the chase by four wickets. Former India spinner R Ashwin raved about Abhishek’s extraordinary skill-set and hailed him as the next batting superstar from the country. Ashwin also elaborated on the challenge that Abhishek will face in the road, his exaggerated backlift and the downswing.
“I truly believe, man, that the next batting superstar of India is Abhishek Sharma. See, he doesn’t have a problem exactly, not a problem, but a challenge.“Problem” is a very big word. His challenge is to be able to control that downswing. I was reading somewhere that he still talks to Brian Lara because Lara had a huge backlift. His bat swing was magnificent too, so Abhishek spoke to Lara about controlling that bat swing to be able to play Test cricket,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“So just think about his mindset, it’s ticking at that level. Even that day in Canberra, when the match was washed out, he was talking to Shubman Gill. From his gestures, it looked like he was talking about the bat swing and the pull shot. I even have a screenshot from the last game; he was a bit late on the pull shot then. But in this game, he made that correction. He found a way to get it over the top,” he added.
Ashwin also described how the Punjab opener is constantly evolving with the bat.
All said and done, that bat swing, he actually stepped out today, charged down the track, and Australia bowled really well too. They were bowling tight lines, fuller lengths, taking the pace off. But that full ball, especially when you charge at a fast bowler and they try to bowl a yorker, you don’t have width to free your arms. Yet, he was still able to open up his arms and hit it over covers for a boundary.”
These are all very special abilities that a player possesses. I always say, we all work hard, but to make that hard work shine, you need a little gift, that God-given gift. Abhishek Sharma has that gift. He has the mind to think deeply about the game, and he is just an exceptionally talented batter. I wish I could keep watching him all day long. On a tough pitch and a tough day for India, once again, he gave us a beautiful exhibition of what good batsmanship in T20 cricket looks like,” he added.
