Former Indian batting coach Abhishek Nayar highlighted that Abhishek Sharma didn’t waste balls during his knock against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Sunday. Sharma scored 10 runs off 11 balls against the West Indies before he was dismissed by Akeal Hosein.
The Indian opener struggled to hit the ground running as his dismal form continued. Sharma has managed only 80 runs in six innings of the ongoing tournament as he hasn’t been at his best
However, Nayar said Sharma’s early dismissal gave opportunities to other batters as the left-hander didn’t waste deliveries. On the other hand, the West Indies captain Shai Hope scored 32 runs off 33 balls and it led to his team’s downfall.
“You generally measure it by how quick a start you give, and how you score more runs off fewer balls. That didn’t happen today (Sunday), but generally it’s said that if you are unable to score runs, get out because the others will get an opportunity. That’s the difference in T20 cricket. Shai Hope played the entire powerplay and then got out,” Abhishek Nayar said on his YouTube Channel.
“So when Abhishek Sharma got stuck on nine off nine balls, it’s fine if he gets out. If he had batted more, the others also wouldn’t have gotten a chance, and it’s not easy to make a comeback in T20 cricket. Yes, he didn’t score runs, but he still batted for the team’s benefit because he tried to take the strike rate and run rate up so that the team would win,” Nayar observed.
The former Indian batter also praised Tilak Varma’s knock after the left-hander scored 27 runs off 15 balls.
“It was a beautiful knock. He hadn’t scored runs in the first three or four balls, but after that, when he started scoring runs in Shamar Joseph’s over, it seemed like the team was going to win now,” he replied.
Nayar highlighted that Varma’s cameo alleviated the pressure on Sanju Samson, who scored a match-winning knock of 97 runs off just 50 balls.
“That knock had so much dominance that I felt the pressure on Sanju Samson got reduced. As a set batter, when you have scored 50 runs, you want the batter batting with you to hit fours and sixes so that your job becomes easier,” Nayar explained.
India will take on England in the second semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Thursday.
