Former India player Abhinav Mukund said that young explosive opener Abhishek Sharma should be given some time in terms of consistency, considering that his quick-fire 30s can win the team T20I matches as well. Mukund also urged critics to refrain from asking him to rein himself in to an extent, as that may not work for the team as well.

While reflecting on hi’s cameo, Mukund told ESPNcricinfo: “A lot of past players will call for Abhishek Sharma to show a lot more consistency in getting big scores. But, it’s very difficult if you are playing such a high-risk game. I hope we have come to the understanding that this guy is going to win us games. On the day he gets us the big score, we are going to win comfortably. But these are the starts India were looking for since the last [2022] T20 World Cup campaign.

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“Abhishek can get you about 80-85 [in the powerplay]. With that, comes a little bit of a price on consistency. You bat deep till eight, so what’s the point of asking Abhishek to show some restraint. This is the way he should play always. You should be okay with him getting out at 30,” he again added.

However, another former Indian batter, Wasim Jaffer, also backed Abhishek Sharma’s style of play. According to him, the young opener can either go all out or get out.

“That’s how he plays. He’s not one of those players who is going to take up balls. Either he’ll get out or he’s going to bat at that kind of a strike rate. No surprise at all. He is somebody who is very brave and doesn’t care about hitting the ball in the air. He’s taken down left-arm spinners and other bowlers also. He’s the ideal opener. Irrespective of who is bowling, you will always see Abhishek Sharma bat like that,” he added.