Former Indian player turned commentator Irfan Pathan has shared a weakness in Abhishek Sharma’s approach following the T20I series victory against Australia. Pathan opined that Abhishek cannot step out to every bowler early in the innings and cheekily said he will speak to Abhishek’s coach Yuvraj Singh about it as well.
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel ‘Irfan Pathan,’ he said, “Abhishek Sharma got the Player of the series award and he has been playing fearlessly but we are talking about bilateral series here. Although Asia Cup was a multi-nation series. But teams are well-prepared in World Cups. If Abhishek Sharma steps out and plays every time, teams will start working him out. So, he must pick and choose and I’m sure team management will be concentrating on this. Even Yuvraj Singh will be focusing on it. I will even speak to Yuvi (laughs). Abhishek will also be thinking that he cannot step out to every bowler in every inning. So, planning can be better. In this game, two catches were dropped off his bowling and even if one would’ve been taken, his innings would have ended.”
Pathan also added that teams will start approaching Abhishek Sharma with increased variations moving forward, considering Nathan Ellis troubled him with that strategy too.
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“He will play the same way. It’s high-risk cricket and it has high reward but sometimes people may think ‘What shot was this?’ But fearless cricket should also have some rationale and planning. I’m sure Abhishek Sharma will be focusing on this. If he is stepping out, which bowler he needs to do it against. Second thing is, Nathan Ellis troubled him; hence, bowlers around the world will bowl to him with variation in the powerplay. Hence, he needs to focus on that, especially the bat flow. If slower ones come with varied pace – because balls can come up to head high, we saw that in Australia. Hence, Abhishek must work on these things,” he said.
“Shubman Gill’s innings in the last two matches have also been a big positive. I spoke about Gill in my previous video about how this template is the best for him. Focus on timing is a must. Everybody spoke about his strike rate, but the innings at Gold Coast was in a winning cause. That’s what we want, players who play according to the conditions. That is Shubman Gill. He left behind Abhishek Sharma in strike rate in Brisbane. India’s score is above 50 and if Gill’s strike rate is above 200 and Abhishek was slightly struggling – two catches off him were dropped. But Gill looked well in control. When you confidence to score runs and there is backing, you get to see results. The only hope is Gill shouldn’t leave behind this template. Timing is the template,” Pathan shared again.
With the T20 World Cup all set to take place next year in India and Sri Lanka, Irfan Pathan said that India need to have four quality bowlers, keeping in mind the conditions, if it will be dewy as well.
“Overall, one thing is certain, given how this series has gone. This Indian team needs plenty of options in all-rounders, which they have. There are plenty of experiments going on, which is right. Until the next series, they are okay. But it may stop in the series against New Zealand, which is before the World Cup because you don’t want to experiment in the World Cup. I just have one advice for the team is that options in all-rounders are a must. It is important but ensure you also have four quality bowlers in the World Cup. The reason is having high-quality and wicket-taking bowlers is crucial if dew comes. If there is a flat wicket and if the opposition is chasing, you still have four high-quality bowlers. If the ball is becoming wet, it is still crucial to have top-quality bowlers. I’m sure Indian team will weigh on this but overall it’s going in the right direction,” Irfan Pathan concluded.
