Abhishek Sharma Credits Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir for Freedom in India’s T20I Victory Against England
Left-handed opener Abhishek Sharma played a stellar knock of 79 runs to help India cruise to a seven-wicket win over England in the T20I series opener at Eden Gardens. Abhishek’s blistering knock, which came off just 34 balls, was instrumental in India’s chase of 133 runs, achieved in under 13 overs. His innings included five boundaries and eight sixes, with 68 of his 79 runs coming from boundaries.
Reflecting on his impressive performance, Abhishek credited the freedom given to the team’s young players by captain Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir. “I wanted to express myself. Special mention to the captain and coach for the tremendous freedom they’ve given us youngsters. It really helped me to play my natural game,” said Abhishek after the match.
Opening the batting, Abhishek played with a mix of finesse and power, reaching his fifty in just 20 deliveries. He acknowledged that the pitch conditions were challenging, but the bowlers’ performance also played a crucial role in the win. “It was a bit tricky, double-paced, but the way our bowlers bowled was excellent,” he said.
Abhishek also revealed that his approach was to play like he does in the IPL, with the intent to express himself and hit his shots from the very first ball. “When I first came into the Indian team, my plan was simple — to play like I did in the IPL. The environment here encourages you to express yourself,” he added.
While Abhishek’s knock was the highlight, the Player of the Match award went to wrist-spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, who produced a brilliant spell of 3-23. Chakaravarthy, familiar with the pitch from his IPL days with Kolkata Knight Riders, exploited the conditions with his bounce and spin. “I’m used to these pitches, and while they generally favor seamers, my length works well here. The plan was to extract more bounce and make sure to bowl outside the batsman’s arc. It was a challenging task, but with some good fortune, I was successful,” he said.
With India taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, both Abhishek and Chakaravarthy’s performances proved pivotal in India’s dominant victory over England.
