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The young Indian opener Abhishek Sharma did not get the desired start to his T20I career. Known for tormenting bowling attacks right from the word go, he bagged a four-ball duck on debut against Zimbabwe. A day later, he smashed a quickfire century to prove he belongs to this level. After India’s emphatic 100-run win to level the series, Abhishek revealed that he used captain Shubman Gill’s bat to score the century. He said that he has been doing that since his Under-12 days whenever there was a “pressure game”.
“Today, I played with his bat, so special thanks to the bat. It happened from the under-12 days, as whenever I play a pressure game I ask him for a bat.
“It had happened in the IPL as well. Today was no exception as it went well as it usually happens,” said Abhishek in the post-match press meet.
Abhishek is happy to be opening the innings alongside Gill who has been playing with him since he was a teenager.
“It has been quite beautiful, starting as kids of 11-12 years. Yeah, we are playing together from Under-12. When I was selected for the country, the first call I received was from Shubman,” said Abhishek in the 23-year-old.
Abhishek thanks Yuvraj Singh
After the match, he thanked legendary Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh for allowing him to take risks and hit lofted shots.
“Yuvi paaji (Yuvraj Singh) has made a big contribution. I don’t consider myself as sixer-king or something like that. Special thanks to my dad for allowing me to play lofted shots.
“Generally, coaches don’t allow a young batter to hit lofted shots. But my dad always said if you wanted to play a lofted shot then it should go out of the ground. So, I wanted to follow that,” he recalled.
No pressure in Zimbabwe
The left-handed batter said that IPL has taught him how to handle pressure and the youngsters were not under the pump for the ongoing Zimbabwe series
“I think the IPL plays a big role in this (handling pressure). We did not feel much pressure when we came here to represent the country as debutants.
“Unfortunately, we didn't start well in the first match. But my mindset and approach were pretty much similar – to show the right intent.”
Abhishek unperturbed by duck on debut
Abhishek is not bothered about the duck in the first match as he feels that his game is to attack.
“This is my game and I will go for the shot from the first ball if it’s there in my slot. If it’s my day then it works out, and if it does not, then I don’t mind. I practice a lot for this mindset,” the Amritsar-born batter added.
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