Former India batter Hanuma Vihari has come out in support of Abhishek Sharma after the youngster faced criticism for his slow innings in the fourth T20I against the West Indies in Hyderabad. India suffered a 24-run defeat while chasing a challenging target of 248, leaving the five-match series heading into a decisive finale.
Abhishek, who is known for his aggressive approach at the top of the order, managed only 29 runs from 24 deliveries. His strike rate of 120.83 was well below his usual standards, and his inability to accelerate during the chase drew criticism. However, Vihari believes it would be unfair to put the blame on the left-hander for India’s defeat.
According to Hanuma Vihari, Abhishek did not get enough opportunities to face deliveries during the powerplay, which affected his ability to settle into his natural attacking rhythm. “Many people will say we lost the match because of Abhishek Sharma. But I will not put it that way. He hardly faced any balls in the powerplay. So when you don’t get the rhythm, it’s hard for Abhishek to score boundaries in the middle overs without playing enough balls in the powerplay.”
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Vihari further explained that an opener such as Abhishek relies heavily on the momentum generated during the first six overs. Once that rhythm is established, it becomes easier to maintain the scoring rate through the middle overs.
“It is not easy at all. For an opener, when you’re used to playing in the powerplay, the rhythm and momentum should come in the powerplay. Then you continue in the middle overs, and that is the pattern. He struggled a bit in the middle overs, which is understandable. So I feel there’s nothing to blame him for.”
Despite Abhishek’s struggles, Hnuma Vihari felt India remained in contention for a significant part of the chase. He highlighted the efforts of Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who kept the hosts’ hopes alive with aggressive batting late in the innings. “I feel India were always in the game. The firepower was there. Even when Tilak and Nitish were batting, you backed them to get 48 off the last three overs. That is the talent they have.”
Both batters produced impressive cameos. Tilak scored 43 off 25 balls at a strike rate of 172, while Nitish smashed 41 from just 20 deliveries at a strike rate of 205. Although India ultimately fell short, their performances provided a major positive heading into the series decider.
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Vihari also pointed to a key difference between the two bowling attacks. He felt India failed to vary their pace often enough, while the West Indies bowlers executed their plans effectively.
“West Indies bowlers changed the pace really well. Indian bowlers didn’t bowl many slower ones. But the West Indies bowlers changed it well, they bowled good yorkers, and they executed the plans well.” With the series now level on the line, India will face the West Indies in the fifth and final T20I. India will look to finish the series strongly at home, while the West Indies will aim to complete a memorable campaign.
