Abhishek Sharma’s explosive 79 off 34 balls at Eden Gardens showcases his six-hitting prowess, with 48 runs from sixes, reaffirming his T20I impact.
Kolkata: At a time when six-hitting has ceased to evoke the spectacular anymore, Abhishek Sharma’s bellicose innings at Eden Gardens on Wednesday offers a fresh perspective to the nouveau concept of batters ‘expressing’ themselves.
Abhishek Sharma in action against England in the first T20I, in Kolkata on Wednesday. (AFP)
Very few actually walk the talk but with Sharma it seems to have assumed the status of the first and the last resort, a scoring shot he would seek both in desperation as well as ease. Get this: 48 of his 34-ball 79 runs on Wednesday came in sixes. Of the 335 runs he has scored in T20Is so far, 270 have come in 54 boundary hits, 27 of them sixes. Every time he scores above 20 in T20Is, Sharma strikes comfortably over 200 and India win.
You can trace this penchant for sixes to his IPL career as well, specifically 2024 where Sharma hit more sixes (42) than fours (36) in a staggering season for Sunrisers Hyderabad, aggregating 484 runs at a strike rate of 204.22. Very few carry their IPL form to international cricket but in Sharma’s case, continuity of role (Sharma opens for SRH as well) has helped. And also the backing that he will be given a long rope irrespective of results. Sharma couldn’t go past 16 in seven innings last year. His last three innings though? 50 off 25 balls, 36 off 18, and 79 off 34.
“As a batsman, it can play on your mind if you don’t score runs in three-four-five innings,” said Sharma at the press conference after Wednesday’s win. “But the way the coach and captain have managed all the players, even when I’ve not done well – even then they tell us, ‘we know you’re going to win the game for us, any game, just go and express yourself’ – I think when the captain or coach say this, you get confidence and you back yourself.”
Despite the stiff competition, Sharma is okay risking his place for the sake of the team. “I have always thought from the start to be a team player,” he said. “In India, there will always be a lot of competition in our senior team. But when Suryakumar (Yadav) and Gautam (Gambhir) paaji tell me to always keep my intent, that was a big moment for me. That when the team wants me to do that, then I can do it.”
The boundaries were short, the pitch was playing up nicely, and England were bowling quick. Reverse-sweeps, switch hits and audacious slices—basically a lot of behind the wicket shots using the pace on the ball—are highly anticipated here but Sharma revelled in pulling, hooking or just staying back and cutting the ball hard. Six of his eight sixes on Wednesday came between deep extra cover and fine-leg, all off proper cricketing shots.
The lengths weren’t great, sure, but Sharma’s shot-selection was a timely validation of orthodox hitting in T20 cricket. It’s also a voluntary extension of Sharma’s approach in red-ball cricket, where he aggregates an astonishing 30 sixes in 37 innings. On the up aerial shots are his forte, something he has worked with a couple of legends both at domestic level as well as in the IPL.
“I believe I’m very lucky in this,” he said. “I was working with Yuvi paaji at first. Going forward, I had Brian Lara, who really helped me at SRH. Daniel Vettori was pretty simple, he just wanted everyone to express themselves, and I think that gave me the freedom to play my shots. So obviously, with Yuvraj Singh, Brian Lara and even Gauti bhai right now, they just want me to showcase my talent the way I play and to back myself.”
Bowling simulation has helped too. “I try and want to face the kind of bowlers I will potentially face in a match,” said Sharma. “Special mention to Kotzy sir (Sitanshu Kotak) and Abhishek Nayar bhai. Both helped me in the nets to get me similar bowlers. Shot selection is very simple for me. I watch the ball and react.” Not everyday can that approach work. When it does though, Sharma makes sure he goes the whole distance.
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