Former Indian wicket-keeper bat Dinesh Karthik praised Abhishek Sharma after India registered 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 strike rate of 230. Thus, he played a key role in giving a solid start to the team and hosts eventually posted 223 runs on the board.
Karthik said Abhishek is the most important wicket for the opposition as he can take the game away from them.
Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz, “To score so fast while being consistent is what sets him apart from some of the other players. Across conditions, he has constantly put attacks under pressure. And when you see Abhishek Sharma walking out, as a team you fear it. You know that’s the wicket we need early. He has blossomed into a world superpower as an opener.”
“In him, India has a destructive attack who can take it on even in the big moments. Even if put under pressure, he takes the positive option and looks for the big shots. He has a very positive outlook towards how he wants to play this format. Apart from being destructive, he also added nous to his batting. He has the skills and the shots, but now he has become a consistent churner of runs at that strike rate.”
On the other hand, former Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane highlighted that Sharma finds different ways to score, which makes him special.
“He is special because he finds different methods to score runs. If he’s struggling in a particular area, he’ll still find a way to score runs without losing his strike rate. To bat at an almost 200 strike rate with such consistency is amazing,” said Rahane (via the aforementioned source).
The fourth T20I between India and the West Indies will be played at Hyderabad on Wednesday.
