Follow UsOn any other day, Abhishek Sharma's 68 off 37 at a strike rate of 183.78 would have been lauded as a great innings. However, with India being bowled out for just 125 in the second T20I against Australia at MCG on October 31 (Friday), the opening batter's knock went in vain despite trying his best. He put on 56 off 57 with Harshit Rana for the sixth wicket, but he faced just 14 balls in the partnership, due to which India could not get a competitive total on the board.
As a result, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes Abhishek should show game awareness and has lauded Harshit Rana, who scored 35 off 33.
“Abhishek Sharma once again showed that while everyone else seemed to be batting on one pitch, he was batting on another," Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
“It was a brilliant half-century, a superb innings, but if you look closely, you’ll notice it had two parts. During the power play, he batted beautifully, but after it ended, he should have continued with the same intent and awareness, which he didn’t.
“Harshit did his job. He ensured the team didn’t lose another wicket and managed a decent 35-run knock. As a lower-order batter, that’s all you can ask for. You can talk about strike rate later, but he did what was required. Now, what was Abhishek Sharma’s responsibility there? The powerplay went well, he played freely, and even when wickets fell around him, he stayed composed.
"But during that stand, most of the strike went to Harshit Rana — Abhishek faced only 14 balls out of 47. That’s where he needed to take charge. No doubt he’s India’s No. 1 T20 batter at the moment, but he must show better game awareness."
With the four-wicket win, Australia go 1-0 up in the series, with three more to play. The teams will face off next in Hobart on November 2 (Sunday).