Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif has lauded Abhishek Sharma’s aggressive approach amid the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand. Kaif said even Chris Gayle used to take a few balls before catapulting his attack however Abhishek has surpassed that.
Abhishek often hits the ground running and tries to take the attack from the opposition from the get-go. In the third T20I against the Kiwis, he smashed Jacob Duffy for a first-ball six and mostly gets off the mark with a four or a six.
Sharma scored a blistering knock of 68 runs off just 20 balls to help India chase down 154 runs in 10 overs in the third T20I against the Blackcaps.
The left-hander smashed seven fours and five sixes in his whirlwind knock. The youngster completed his fifty off just 14 balls, the second fastest T20I half-century for India after his mentor Yuvraj Singh, who scored a 12-ball fifty against England in the 2007 T20 World Cup.
Mohammad Kaif said on his YouTube Channel, “Usually, players who play like him are not consistent. I’ve seen many big-name players like this. Chris Gayle, who used to play in a similar way, always going for the big shots. But even Chris Gayle played smart cricket. Gayle also used to play maiden overs. Gayle would play the first over carefully, 6-7-8 balls on Bangalore pitch, where there was some early help for the bowlers, he used to play carefully and then accelerate.”
“Abhishek Sharma has surpassed that. He doesn’t need to settle his eyes, he attacks straight away. So you can’t praise him enough. The point is, batters like this are usually inconsistent. One inning they’ll perform, the next three they’ll struggle, then one good comeback, then another poor run. But look at Abhishek Sharma’s style. He proves himself in every match. Even if he faces just 12-14 balls, he scores 60-70 runs. That alone makes him the match-winner for the team. Even if other players fail, if Abhishek Sharma is on, India is almost certain to win,” he added.
Kaif admitted he is stunned to note Abhishek Sharma’s consistency as he bats with an ultra-aggressive approach.
“Abhishek Sharma is batting at a strike rate of 200, 300 sometimes. When a player bats at a strike rate of 250-300 and tries to hit a boundary every ball, he can never be consistent. A player who hits every ball for a boundary, who uses his feet to play shots, who pulls spinners to the leg side, cannot be consistent. But Abhishek Sharma is doing it. I am amazed, I am stunned at how he is able to do this repeatedly. I even pray, like, put some kind of protection on him (Kala tikka laga do) so that nothing bad happens, because the World Cup is coming, and he is in great form, which is crucial as India is a strong contender to win.”
The fourth T20I between India and New Zealand will be played at Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.
