Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has hit back at former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir for calling Abhishek Sharma a slogger. Ahead of the high-octane clash between the two arch-rivals on Sunday, Singh said he doesn’t want to create more drama and some people will get offended if he names the real sloggers.
Meanwhile, Abhishek is the number one T20I batter in the ICC rankings but he was dismissed for a golden duck in the team’s opening match of the T20 World Cup against the USA. The left-hander then went on to miss the second match against Namibia due to a stomach infection.
Sharma recently scored 182 runs in five matches against New Zealand at a strike rate of almost 250.
Harbhajan Singh said on his YouTube Channel, “He (Abhishek Sharma) is a proper batsman who knows where the ball is coming and plays the shot accordingly. He can play over cover, a shot at point, and all kinds of shots, long-on, long-off, mid-wicket. You cannot call him a slogger. If I start naming real sloggers, some people might get offended, but I don’t want to create more drama. Still, calling anyone just a slogger like that, I don’t think it is fair.”
“Abhishek is a top-class batsman who has proved himself in world cricket. Tomorrow, you better watch out. If Abhishek stays at the crease, for the last 4-5 months, he has already been in your dreams. If he goes big tomorrow, then for the next six months, he will be in your dreams again,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Turbanator said India’s goal should be to build a strong foundation in the first six overs.
“Look, what I want to see tomorrow is what approach Team India will take. In Delhi, a spinner took four wickets against India, and one of their left-arm bowlers got Suryakumar out. In total, the spinner took five wickets. Will India try the same approach against spinners, that is, play aggressively and keep attacking, or will they play a bit cautiously, rotating the strike with singles and doubles?”
“It is very important to see this approach, how India goes about it. They should have a positive intent, but that positive intent can also be expressed through singles and doubles because the grounds are big. They shouldn’t repeat the USA scenario where, at 60-70 runs, you lose six or seven wickets. The goal should be to build a solid foundation in the first six overs of batting. Similarly, if India bowls in the first six overs, they should also lay a good foundation so that the intent to take wickets is visible. That is what really matters,” he added.
India would look to be at their best against Pakistan on Sunday.
