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Despite sharing the opening partnership with the high-profile Travis Head, who is known for inflicted pain on Indian cricket fans, it was Abhishek Sharma who stole the show in the IPL 2024 with his explosive batting. The 23-year-old from Punjab amassed an incredible strike rate of 202.21, smashing 42 sixes throughout the tournament while amassing 484 runs in 16 matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad. His performance eclipsed even that of his star opening partner Head.
Abhishek Sharma's IPL heroics
What took everyone by surprise was that he surpassed his opening partner both in terms of strike rate and sixes. The team for the T20 World Cup was to be announced when Abhishek hit a 28 ball 75 in a chase of 166. The demolition duo ended the game in mere 9.4 overs. Experts like Harbhajan Singh picked their probable 15 for the World Cup and many named Abhishek in their squad. The squad was announced and Abhishek couldn't make the cut. But what made people disappointed was that he wasn’t even in the standbys.
Experience over form?
Despite his exceptional IPL form, Abhishek Sharma was surprisingly overlooked for the T20 World Cup squad. Instead, Shubman Gill, who had a relatively average IPL, was included in the squad, albeit as a standby. However, Gill did not get a chance to play. Following this, Abhishek was included in the Indian squad for the Zimbabwe T20I series, where he shared the team with his childhood friend Shubman Gill, who was named captain. While Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal were seen as the likely opening pair, there was uncertainty about Abhishek's role in the team. There were still questions if Abhishek would start or not as the team already had Gill and Jaiswal who were likely openers for the series.
Fortune favors the brave
Fortune had its own plan, Yashasvi Jaiswal wasn’t available for the first two T20Is as he was part of the T20 World Cup winning squad. It was now a clear choice and on the eve of the game Indian captain Shubman Gill announced that Abhishek Sharma, his childhood friend, is all set to make his International debut and will join him as an opener.
Arrival In Style after duck disaster
Abhishek Sharma's international career got off to a rocky start with a duck on debut. However, his mentor, Yuvraj Singh, remained optimistic, suggesting that it could be a prelude to something special. Less than 24 hours later, Abhishek Sharma silenced critics with a sensational century in the second T20I. He reached the milestone in just 46 balls, hitting eight sixes. Interestingly, he used his captain's bat, a practice he revealed he's employed since childhood to regain form. Yuvraj Singh was ecstatic with Sharma's performance, predicting many more centuries to come for the young talent. Not just this, Abhishek ((23 years and 307 days)) also became the fourth-youngest Indian batter to score a T20I century after Yashasvi Jaiswal (21 years and 279 days), Shubman Gill (23 years and 146 days), and Suresh Raina (23 years and 156 days).
Pushed to no.3 despite opening heroics
The arrival of Yashasvi Jaiswal for the third T20I raised questions about the batting order. With Jaiswal set to open, there was speculation about whether Gill would move down to number three, given his recent form. Ultimately, Gill retained the opening spot, while Abhishek Sharma was pushed to the number three position. However, Sharma struggled in the subsequent matches batting at this position.
Abhishek in India’s scheme of things?
With the Sri Lanka series approaching, the focus is on India's squad selection. While Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are likely to open the batting, the backup opener position is up for grabs. Abhishek Sharma's explosive form poses a strong challenge to Ruturaj Gaikwad, another contender for the role.
Ruturaj Gaikwad had a exceptional series in the middle order. He was the fourth highest run getter at a strike rate of 158.33. He has been in India’s plan since a long time but has faced injury setbacks in the past.
A face-off between Abhishek Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad
Abhishek Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad are vying for the backup opener position in the Indian T20I team. Given Shubman Gill's relatively low strike rate during the Zimbabwe series, there's a possibility that the backup opener might get a chance in the playing eleven. Abhishek Sharma has an advantage over Gaikwad due to his ability to contribute with both bat and ball, aligning with India's preference for all-rounders.
(WRITTEN BY SHASHWAT BHALLA)
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