Not everyone has this ability

Former India player Irfan Pathan has lauded Abhishek Sharma for scoring an aggressive half-century in the first T20I against England. He noted that the opener has the rare ability to manoeuvre his bat with great control.

Abhishek smashed 59 runs off 24 balls as India set England a 190-run target in Durham on Wednesday, July 1. However, the game didn’t yield a result as rain denied England the chance to start their chase.

During a discussion on JioHotstar, Pathan praised Abhishek for playing shots all around the park with great control.

“Even before the match had started, we were saying that his approach should not change because he has the ability to play aggressively. The control he has over the bat, the way he manoeuvres it, not everyone has this ability. However, Abhishek Sharma has it,” he said.

The former India all-rounder highlighted that conditions won’t matter to Abhishek if he can predict the variations a bowler would use against him.

“In the same over, he played straight, turned the bat and hit square of the wicket, and then played the pull shot very easily. He should only know which bowler is coming with which variation against him. If he knows that, the conditions won’t matter to him, because then he can wait,” Chopra observed.

Abhishek Sharma struck six fours and four sixes during his 59-run knock. He dominated the 82-run third-wicket partnership with Shreyas Iyer (68 off 47).

“His job is to score runs at a high strike rate” – Saba Karim on Abhishek Sharma’s knock in ENG vs IND 2026 1st T20I

In the same discussion, former India wicketkeeper-batter Saba Karim noted that Abhishek Sharma is expected to bat aggressively.

“Such knocks are expected from him. If you expect Abhishek to adapt to the conditions and play shots after taking a little time, this place is not made for him. His job is to score runs at a high strike rate, which has always been India’s vision. A few failures might come in between, but you shouldn’t change your template to score runs,” he said.

The former India selector added that Abhishek took both the pacers and the spinners to the cleaners.

“The way he made room against the pace bowlers, moved towards the leg side against short balls, played inside-out shots and the upper cut, and used his feet brilliantly against the spinners, he did the job expected from him perfectly. This is what makes him different,” Saba observed.

Saba Karim opined that Abhishek Sharma doesn’t need to change his batting approach. He added that the team management is backing the left-handed opener and wants him to bat in the same fashion every time.