Abhishek Sharma’s father: After 1st match, I reminded him six-hitting was what led to India call-up

“He wanted to get off the mark with a six. He misread the length and couldn’t connect it. But today, he not only started his innings with a six but also completed his century with the maximum (hat-trick of sixes),” Rajkumar Sharma said to the Indian Express from Amritsar.

Abhishek Sharma hit three consecutive sixes to reach his maiden T20I 100. (BCCI/Twitter)

Rajkumar spoke about the chat he had with his son after he got out for a duck in the first match and credited Abhishek’s childhood friend Shubman Gill and coach VVS Laxman for giving him confidence after India’s loss.

“He was a bit dejected. You can’t blame him. When you get out on nought on your debut, you do question your approach. He was blaming himself for his six-hitting obsession. I reminded him that his six-hitting ability has helped him reach here. Why change your style now, stick to your strength,” advised Rajkumar.

“Captain (Shubman) and coach (Laxman) saab also had a word with him after the match. Laxman sir told him, ‘You were thrashing all the international bowlers in the IPL. Treat it as any IPL match, take your time, get acclimatised and then no one will stop you’,” he said.

“With Shubman being the captain, it has also helped. The duo has opened for Punjab since their U-14 days and now they are opening for India. Mark my words, these two will forge a destructive opening partnership and will win many games for India in the future,” said Rajkumar.

Taking a cue from VVS Laxman’s advice, Abhishek took his time, and even got a reprieve when he was on 27. The 23-year-old completed his fifty in 33 balls and then came down on Zimbabwe’s bowlers like a ton of bricks and reached his next fifty in just 13 balls. During his 47-ball 100, Abhishek smoked eight sixes.

The 23-year-old has had an excellent season with the bat. He played a pivotal role in Punjab lifting the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy. He has scored 485 runs in ten innings at a strike rate of 192.46, the best among batters who have faced at least 120 balls in the tournament. He carried his form into the IPL, where he again played a crucial role in Sunrisers Hyderabad reaching the final. At the IPL, Abhishek scored 484 runs in 16 innings with a strike rate of 204.02. He became the first batsman to pile up more than 400 runs without even facing 30 balls in a single innings.

“The demand of T20 cricket now is to attack from ball one. You have to be brave. Rohit Sharma has shown the way for all the Indian youngsters. The template is set and I am glad that Abhishek is trying to follow in the footsteps of Rohit,” said Rajkumar. “I hope he continues to play in this style and I don’t believe that this approach is a double-edged sword. He has shown consistency,” he added.