New Delhi: Abhishek Sharma has attributed the lack of nerves in his debut series to the Indian Premier League, which was also showcased by the young India batter who smashed his maiden T20I ton. The left-handed opener did not feel any kind of pressure building on him, specially after India went down in the first T20I against hosts Zimbabwe where he endured a flop show. India made a turnaround to level the five-match series 1-1 with a huge 100-run win in the second game on Sunday.
Perceiving that IPL has ensured a smooth transition for the young players who make their debuts for the national team, Abhishek delivered something similar as he hit a whirlwind 46-ball century inclusive of seven fours and eight sixes. His blitzkrieg helped India post a mammoth 234/2 on the scoreboard as several fans noted Abhishek’s style of play, replicating it with his IPL 2024 exploits.
“I think IPL plays a big role in this because as a youngster, as a debutant, we didn’t feel much pressure when we came to represent the country. It’s always a great motivation once you are playing for the country. Unfortunately, it didn’t go well in yesterday’s game, but my mindset and intent was same,” Abhishek said.
I think it’s all about approach in T20, about intent. If I show intent and if it is my day, it usually goes like this,” he reckoned.
It was disappointing – Abhishek on 1st T20I loss
The southpaw who is a protege of Yuvraj Singh, admitted that all the players were disappointed after losing the series opener, specially after the first-choice squad had just won the T20 World Cup a few days before. “Losing a game like that after the country has won a T20 World Cup was disappointing for the players,” he said.
Sidelining all the negatives, he said that none of the players were downed by the loss and just thought about putting in the hard work for the next game. “Mindset was to forget what has happened and focus on the next match.” Both nations will next face each other in the third T20I scheduled on July 10 at the Harare Sports Club.
Abhishek Sharma came exceptionally good in the second T20I against Zimbabwe, hitting a blazing maiden ton in his debut series as India thrashed the hosts by a huge margin of 100 runs on Sunday. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
