Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has shed light on Abhishek Sharma’s run of poor form after the left-hander was dismissed cheaply in the opening T20I against South Africa, which India went on to win by 61 runs at Kingsmead, Durban to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.
Sharma was dismissed after scoring seven runs off eight balls when he misused a good length delivery from Gerald Coetzee.
Meanwhile, the left-hander scored a 46-ball hundred against Zimbabwe but could not come up with consistent performances against Bangladesh in the home series.
The southpaw could only manage 35 runs in three matches against the Tigers at an average of 11.67. The 24-year-old from Punjab has scored 166 runs in nine T20Is at an average of 20.75 and he needs to deliver more consistent performances at the top of the order.
On the other hand, Sanju Samson scored a blistering knock of 107 runs off just 50 balls in the opening T20I, which was his second consecutive T20I century.
“It’s a tale of two openers. There is Sanju (Samson), whose stars are shining bright, on one side. On the other side is Abhishek Sharma, whose stars have fallen. When he had struck a century against Zimbabwe, he was that shining new bright star,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“However, after that, he has fallen drastically. The shot he played in this match as well against Gerald Coetzee, it seems like he is a prisoner of his own reputation, that he would play like this only and is not going to wait,” Chopra added.
The renowned commentator feels Sharma’s place in the final XI has been questioned due to inconsistent performances.
“It’s been one more failure. A time will come when it will be a problem. Questions will be asked about how long will you stick with him. Again, he will get three more games, but one by one the sand is being seen slipping from his hand,” he said.
The second T20I between India and South Africa will be played at the St George’s Park, Gqeberha on Sunday.
