Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif has raised concerns regarding Abhishek Sharma’s technique against the slower ball in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Kaif said Sharma’s dismissal against the USA doesn’t bother him, but his other dismissals are worrying signs.
While Sharma was dismissed by Pakistan’s captain, Salman Ali Agha, and the Netherlands’ off-spinner Aryan Dutt, he was dismissed by a knuckleball from Marco Jansen against South Africa. Sharma could not read the slower delivery as Corbin Bosch took a fantastic catch while running backwards.
Sharma was dismissed for three consecutive ducks in the group stage and could only manage 15 runs off 12 balls against the Proteas.
Mohammad Kaif said on his YouTube Channel, “The opposition teams are coming well-prepared. They aren’t giving him pace. It was the knuckle ball in this match. I am worried about his technique against the slower ball. His dismissal in the first match doesn’t bother me. However, his technique was exposed by how he got out in the other games.”
The former UP batter said the Indian opener should consider making a few changes to his game to reap rewards at the top level, citing Virat Kohli’s example.
“He’s such a capable and attacking batter. It’s sad to see how he has started. There’s no bigger example than Virat Kohli. He flopped in the World Cup. He made a comeback by making changes to his game. He played with a strike rate of 150 in the IPL and tried to do the same in the World Cup. So, he changed his game in the final, which is not an easy thing to do.”
Meanwhile, Kaif recalled how Abhishek used to dominate the opposition bowlers in the bilateral series but said the World Cup brings different pressure.
“There is a massive difference between World Cups and bilaterals. Abhishek Sharma ball ka do tukada karte the bilateral mein, unka balla nahi chala abhi tak. (Abhishek Sharma used to break the balls in two halves, but he has yet to fire here) The hype and the spotlight are different here. So there is that added pressure.”
The Natwest trophy final hero said the past performances should not be discussed after India’s loss against South Africa.
He concluded, “People showing numbers and saying that we won 12 matches consecutively. Those are just numbers. Woh kisi aur ne match jitaya tha. Koi aur captain tha, koi aur coach tha (Somebody else won those matches. The captain and coach were different).”
India will next take on Zimbabwe at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on Thursday.
