It’s unfair to expect consistency from Abhishek Sharma and the young opening batter should be allowed to play with freedom at the top of the order in T20I cricket, according to Robin Uthappa. The former India cricketer likened Abhishek Sharma to Virender Sehwag of the early 2000s, saying the youngster’s contribution should be measured by impact and not by consistency.
Robin Uthappa backed Abhishek Sharma, emphasizing that the Indian batting order will reap the rewards on days when the left-handed opener gets off to an aggressive start. India got off to a rapid start despite losing Abhishek Sharma early as Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav tore into the South African new-ball attack. Aiden Markram won the toss and opted to bowl on an overcast afternoon in Durban.
Abhishek Sharma’s rise to Indian ranks post stellar IPL 2024 and recent performances.
Abhishek Sharma made heads turn in the Indian Premier League 2024 with his opening combination with Travis Head for SunRisers Hyderabad. The Punjab opener hit 484 runs in 16 matches at a staggering strike rate of 204.21, hitting 42 sixes and 36 boundaries in the season. Abhishek Sharma played risk-laden cricket and was rewarded for being fearless, especially in the powerplays.
After a stunning performance in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), Abhishek Sharma earned his maiden international call-up for the series against Zimbabwe in July. While he impressed everyone with his century, things have not gone in his favour since that knock. The youngster has played eight T20I matches, scoring only 159 runs – 0, 100, 10, 14, 16, 15 and 4 – before the clash against South Africa. Adding to his woes, he was dismissed for just 7 off 8 balls against the Proteas in the 1st T20I at Kingsmead, Durban.
Abhishek Sharma made his T20I debut after the breakthrough IPL season. He hit a hundred as early as his second T20I in Zimbabwe, getting there in just 47 balls. However, Abhishek has not gone past 20 runs in any of his other seven innings in T20I cricket. More often than not, Abhishek Sharma has been dismissed early while trying to go for big shots in the powerplay. Against Bangladesh at home in October, Abhishek Sharma managed scores of 16, 15 and 4.
In the recently concluded Emerging Asia Cup, he played a couple of steady innings, but nothing particularly stood out, which has fueled doubts about his spot in the Indian team. In the clash against South Africa as well, Gerald Coetzee got the better of Abhishek Sharma as Aiden Markram ran back and took an excellent catch.
Former India opener Robin Uthappa backed youngster Abhishek Sharma’s state of mind during batting and even compared him with Virender Sehwag.
Robin Uthappa compares Abhishek Sharma’s batting flamboyance to Virender Sehwag despite failing to score in 1st T20I
Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa feels that it is unfair to expect a high level of consistency from a high-risk, high-reward player like Abhishek Sharma. The emerging left-handed opening batter rose to prominence with his 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He executed his ultra-aggressive approach to perfection in the tournament.
The exploits that helped SRH reach the finals eventually led to a call-up for the national team ahead of the Zimbabwe tour. Fans got a glimpse of what they could expect from the promising player after he was dismissed for a duck on his debut. He then recorded a whirlwind century in his very next game. Since then, he has struggled for runs, failing to cross the 20-run mark across six consecutive innings.
Robin Uthappa opined that the management should give Abhishek Sharma a free hand to get the best out of him.
“I won’t look for too much consistency with someone like him. I would like to leave him as free as possible, like a Virender Sehwag perhaps in the early 2000s, where people were like ‘just go and enjoy yourself’,” he said.
“Because if it comes, it’s a match-winning hundred or 80, if he gets a quick start, he is still serving the purpose towards the team. So the role is defined. I wouldn’t worry too much about consistency when it comes to Abhishek,” he added.
There is a frantic race among opening batters to nail down the spot for the T20I first-team. Shubman Gill, Yashaswi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, and Ruturaj Gaikwad have all been among the runs whenever they have availed opportunities some time or the other.
The intense pressure for the limited spot even led former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra to term the ongoing South Africa series as a do-or-die affair for Abhishek Sharma.
The opening batter began the T20I series against the Proteas on a poor note after being dismissed for seven runs by Gerald Coetzee. He tried a wild slog straightaway off the right-arm pacer in the fourth over after a patchy start. The ball only got height and not distance as it hit the upper portion of the bat.
The Indian squad do not boast a bonafide reserve opener in the squad. Hence, Abhishek Sharma realistically has three more matches in his hand to make an impression and remain in the hunt.
The four-match T20I series between India and South Africa kicked off on November 8 at Kingsmead in Durban. Port Elizabeth’s St George’s Park will host the second T20I match on November 10. The third T20I will be played at SuperSport Park in Centurion on November 13, and the fourth and final game of the series will take place at Wanderers Stadium on November 15.