Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra heaped praise on Abhishek Sharma after India registered a 14-run win in the third T20I against the West Indies at the Holkar Stadium, Indore on Sunday. Sharma, who was dismissed cheaply in the second game, scored an impressive knock of 69 runs off just 30 balls.
The left-hander smashed six fours and five sixes in his blistering knock and scored his runs at a strike rate of 230. Thus, he played a key role in giving a solid start to the team and hosts eventually posted 223 runs on the board.
Aakash Chopra praised Sharma for playing a calculated knock and lauded the batter for completing 2000 T20I runs.
“Before the match, my first prediction was that Abhishek Sharma would demolish, and if Roston Chase came, he would get hit. However, the way he started the process of hitting him warmed my heart. First, Abhishek Sharma has reached 2,000 runs, and he is the fastest to reach that far, if we look at it from India’s perspective,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“He has played around 1,000 balls, which means he runs at a strike rate of close to 200. However, he took singles at the start against Roston Chase. He took three or four singles. It means he doesn’t have an ego. He knew he could hit Roston Chase, and he also knew that Roston Chase had dismissed him twice, which meant he had to take revenge,” he added.
The renowned commentator praised the batter for altering his approach and not playing across the line against the WI spinners.
“However, he said he didn’t have to take revenge, but make a change. The change was that he had to rein himself in a little, that he would give himself a little time, and after that, he wouldn’t hit across the line, but hit through the line and with the spin, whether it was toward cover or long-off. Once he made a little room for himself and hit a six over point,” he observed.
The fourth T20I between India and the West Indies will be played at Hyderabad on Wednesday.
