Former Indian opener Abhinav Mukund reckons not getting strike in the initial overs affected Abhishek Sharma’s rhythm in the fourth T20I against the West Indies at Hyderabad on Wednesday.
Sharma, who is known to hit the ground running, could not bat at the top of his game as he meandered to 29 runs off 24 balls when the required run rate was more than 12 from the get-go.
Sanju Samson dominated the strike as Abhishek faced a handful of balls in the Powerplay overs. But the left-hander failed to find his timing after the field restrictions were lifted.
Abhinav Mukund said on Cricinfo, “[He’s] a batter that likes to get going and his adrenaline is pumping. He was standing at the opposite end for a very long time. And, I’m not saying that’s the only reason, but to face just eight balls in a 36-ball span in the powerplay…
“Last game, [he was] five of five. And then he went to 69 of 30. So maybe [he thought] adopt the same approach and say, okay Sanju’s going great guns. Let me just give him the strike. And then suddenly the pressure turns back on you because you’re not able to connect. And that could happen to anyone in this game.”
Mukund gave credit to the West Indies bowlers for restricting India to 223-9 in 19.3 overs and helping their team register a 24-run win to level the series 2-2.
“Sometimes, when a batter is put under pressure, you’re able to see it because the pressure to hit a six after a couple of dot balls is immense on these guys. Chasing 247 has now become a reality. And that reality, for it to be achieved, it was a matter of three more sixes. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible because they were put under a lot of pressure.”
India and the West Indies will play the fifth and final match of the series at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, on Saturday.
