Former India opener Aakash Chopra discussed the disparate outcomes of two Indian batsmen, focussing on Abhishek Sharma‘s recent drop in form, after India defeated South Africa in the opening Twenty20 International on Friday.
After making a duck on his debut, the 24-year-old went on to score a spectacular century off just 47 balls in his second Twenty20 International match against Zimbabwe. However, he has since been unable to duplicate that feat. Sharma only added seven runs from eight deliveries in the game in Durban before succumbing to Gerald Coetzee, who bowled beautifully taken at mid-off by Aiden Markram. Chopra discussed Sharma’s deteriorating form and Sanju Samson’s outstanding batting (107 off 50 balls) in the same game on his YouTube channel.
“There are two openers in this story. On one side, there is Sanju (Samson), whose stars are dazzling. Abhishek Sharma, whose stars have plummeted, is on the opposite side. He described himself as “that shining new bright star” after hitting a century against Zimbabwe.
His highest score in seven T20I innings, excluding his century against Zimbabwe, is 16. Aakash Chopra believes that Sharma’s overly aggressive strategy may not be working for him right now.
But since then, he has declined significantly. It appears from the shot he made against Gerald Coetzee in this match as well that he is a prisoner of his own reputation and would only play in this manner without waiting,” Chopra continued.
India won the series by 61 runs and now leads the series 1-0.
The youthful opener’s spot in the team may be in doubt if the trend of early dismissals persists, even if he is expected to stay for the final three games of the series.
“This has been yet another setback. It will become an issue at some point. You will be questioned about how long you plan to stay with him. Chopra came to the conclusion that although he will receive three more games, the sand is gradually sliding out of his grasp.
Due in major part to Samson’s second T20I century, the visitors scored 202/8 in the game after batting first. The Proteas were subsequently held to 141 by Indian bowlers,
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especially spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi, who each took three wickets. This resulted in a 61-run victory and a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.
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