Former Indian Test batter Cheteshwar Pujara praised Abhishek Sharma after India secured a 14-run win in the third T20I against the West Indies at the Holkar Stadium, Indore, on Sunday. Sharma, who was dismissed cheaply in the second game, scored an impressive knock of 69 runs off just 30 balls.
The left-hander smashed six fours and five sixes in his blistering knock and scored his runs at a whirlwind strike rate of 230. Thus, he played a key role in giving a solid start to the team and the hosts eventually posted 223 runs on the board.
Pujara highlighted that Abhishek got off to a sedate start against Roston Chase, who had dismissed him in the first two games but he was able to change gears after settling at the crease.
Pujara said on Cricinfo, “He took 5-6 deliveries, which is a lot for him. He is an explosive batter who doesn’t like to give any respect [to bowlers]. But, he himself said in the interview that because Roston Chase has bowled really well against him, he wanted to look at the way he is bowling, look at the pitch, what kind of assistance he is getting. And after that, he freed his arms. He knew how Chase was bowling and also where were his scoring opportunities.”
On the other hand, Abhishek admitted he knew the West Indies bowlers had a particular plan against him.
He said while talking in the post-match press conference, “I knew they had a plan against me – the offspinner bowling the first over. So, it was a battle between him and me. I gave him the respect in the first over, because I think he has been bowling really well in this series.”
During his knock, Abhishek also completed 2000 T20I runs and became the fastest to reach the milestone in terms of balls faced, getting there off 1024 balls.
The fourth T20I between India and the West Indies will be played at Hyderabad on Wednesday.
