New Delhi, February 16 – Former Indian cricketer and coach Ravi Shastri has urged Abhishek Sharma to be more patient early in his innings during the remaining part of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, after the opener suffered his second consecutive failure with the bat when he was dismissed for a duck in India's emphatic victory over arch-rival Pakistan.
Abhishek began his campaign with a golden duck against the USA in India's first game. However, he was admitted to a hospital in New Delhi on Monday due to a stomach infection and was left out of the game against Namibia. On his return against Pakistan, he again fell for the duck.
While the world's top T20I batter has yet to score through two innings at the tournament, Shastri suggested that Abhishek should use a little more patience when at the crease, as his scoring opportunities will open up later in his innings once he is set.
"I think he's due, but he just has to give himself a little bit of time. Such things happen, and you can go off the boil, but he just has to give himself a little more time until he gets back on track. Because for him to convert those dot balls later on into boundaries and sixes, is not difficult," Shastri said after India's triumph over Pakistan, as quoted by ICC.
With Abhishek somewhat subdued, it has been Ishan Kishan who has filled the void. Kishan was in excellent form against Pakistan. His innings was a heady mix of power and smarts, as he piled on 77 off 40 balls, with the help of three sixes and 10 fours, to give India just the jumpstart they needed, and posted 175/7, the highest score in an India vs Pakistan contest at the T20 World Cup in Colombo.
It was Kishan's second consecutive half-century at the T20 World Cup, and Shastri believes the talented 27-year-old is currently at the top of his game.
"He's batting like a dream at the moment. Striking on that track (Colombo pitch) at close to 200 is unreal. Every batter didn't find it easy, whether it was Indian or Pakistani, because the ball was stopping, and for him to strike the way he did, and what I liked was how quickly he assessed the conditions," Shastri added.
