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Akshat Jain
Akshat Jain is a young, dynamic and driven sports journalist with three years of hands-on experience in the media industry. Born and brought up in Jasol, Rajasthan, he grew up immersed in the exciteme ... Read More
After India’s 2-1 series win over Australia, opener Abhishek Sharma said that his quick success in T20Is was largely due to the constant support and freedom given to him by captain Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir.
Abhishek Sharma was named Player of the Series after scoring 163 runs in three matches at an average of 40.75. He gave India fast starts in every game, with his best performance being a 37-ball 68 against Josh Hazlewood’s tough bowling in the second match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
“I think coming here, when I was practicing, obviously I had a plan that there is going to be extra bounce and pace. But from a team point of view, I had a plan that I have to play the same way I have been playing.”
“When you are playing like this, when you want to dominate the opposition, you have to have that confidence and that ability, which I think the captain and coach always backed me, and I was practicing really hard. Because if you see, it’s not easy to come to Australia and beat them.”
“So I think I had a plan. And I wanted to play the same brand of cricket. Because that’s what we have been following since before the Asia Cup as well. And there was nothing different for me as a player. And as a plan also, it was all the same. Just go out and give the momentum to the team,” said Abhishek in the post-match press conference.
Speaking about his partnership with fellow opener Shubman Gill, Abhishek said, “It’s just fire and fire, not fire and ice. Look at the way he was playing today. We’ve been playing together since the Under-12 days, so there’s a good understanding.”
“I know what shots he’s looking to play and which bowler he’s targeting. He also understands my game and helps me decide what sort of shots I should look to play.”
Abhishek Sharma’s unbeaten 23 in the final T20I, which ended without a result due to rain at The Gabba, made him the second-fastest Indian to complete 1,000 runs in men’s T20Is since his debut in July 2024.
He achieved the feat in just 28 innings, one less than Virat Kohli’s record. Even after this milestone, Abhishek stayed humble, saying he still has a long way to go as India prepare to defend their Men’s T20 World Cup title at home early next year.
“Obviously, the more I play, the bowlers will identify my strong areas and bowl less there. It will always be a challenge how you can make yourself better. But for that, I feel you need a very positive environment, which I am getting and which I have been getting.”
“So I feel as a batter, if I get that, I always think of improving myself. Whether it’s any team or any bowler, I think about how I can give a start to the team and how I can improve my ability. When you play a little aggressive or you dominate, there will be ups and downs.”
“But the captain and coach have told me one thing. I’ve said it earlier as well, that – ‘If you make 15, 20 or 0, I will be there. You will play the match’. So I think just saying it and doing it is very different. I have always got that positivity as a team. And I think I will continue to get it as well,” he concluded.
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