Former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar slammed Abhishek Sharma after India suffered a one-run loss against Ireland in the second T20I at Belfast on Sunday. Chasing 155 runs for the win, India lost the early wicket of Sanju Samson, who was plumbed for a golden duck by Jai Moondra.
However, despite the early wicket, Abhishek decided to play an aggressive shot against Moondra but was caught brilliantly by Matt Hollard for a golden duck. Gavaskar said Abhishek should have shown a bit of patience after Samson’s early dismissal.
Gavaskar said on Sportstak, “Abhishek Sharma shouldn’t have played the shot he did in the same over, especially off his first ball. Considering the match situation, he should have shown a little more patience and composure. If you lose a wicket off the very first ball, it’s important to take some responsibility. Instead, you shouldn’t keep playing attacking shots recklessly, especially when it leads to your second wicket falling in the same over and both openers getting dismissed.”
The Little Master urged the batters to play according to the match situation while adopting the aggressive route.
“This is something we’ve often seen in Indian cricket. Our image is that we’re an attacking team. That’s fine, but you can still play attacking cricket according to the situation. It isn’t necessary to hit every first ball. Because India didn’t get the start they needed, they ultimately failed to chase down 154.”
The former Indian opener said Tilak Varma played a good knock of 55 runs off 46 balls, and he won’t point fingers at the left-hander.
“Look, I won’t point fingers at Tilak Varma because India had already lost four wickets by then. At that stage, it was important to build a partnership and steady the innings, and that’s exactly what was happening. There were still quite a few overs left after that. So, I think his approach was the right one.
“Yes, his strike rate was above 100. But not every batter can score at a strike rate of 140 or 150 every time. Especially on pitches like the ones we saw in these two matches. On Friday, the pitch offered a bit more assistance to the fast bowlers. Today, the surface seemed a little slower. That’s why it was important to take risks in the last three or four overs,” he added.
India will next take on England in a five-match T20I series.
