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But after Samson’s dismissal, it was all Abhishek, as the opener went on a blitzkrieg, putting up 79 runs in a mere 34 balls in an innings littered with 5 fours and 8 sixes.
Abhishek Sharma celebrating his fifty with Tilak Varma (AP)
It was yet another scintillating outing from youngster Abhishek Sharma, who was merely ‘expressing myself’ by lighting up the Kolkata skies to lead India to a comfortable 7-wicket win over England in the first T20I on Wednesday.
Spinner Varun Chakravarthy and fast bowler Arshdeep Singh shared five wickets between them as India bowled out England for 132 after the Men in Blue elected to field first.
When the chase commenced, Abhishek came out firing on all cylinders for India. Despite losing two of his batting partners, the left-hander smashed a 20-ball fifty and ended with eight sixes and five fours to steer the team to victory in 12.5 overs and a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
“Our bowlers bowled well too. They were really good. I thought we would chase something around 160-170, but our guys bowled too well,” Abhishek lauded his teammates in a post-match interview.
“A special mention to the captain and coach. They have given us a lot of freedom. The way they talk to youngsters, it’s tremendous.”
Abhishek and Sanju Samson took to the crease to open the chase for India. Samson blitzed his way to a quickfire 26 runs, walloping Gus Atkinson for 22 runs off his first over itself, before departing.
“We (other batters) were always talking to each other. I enjoy from the other end when Sanju is batting,” Abhishek exclaimed.
But after Samson’s dismissal, it was all Abhishek, as the opener went on a blitzkrieg, putting up 79 runs in a mere 34 balls in an innings littered with 5 fours and 8 sixes.
In fact, almost 87% of Abhishek Sharma’s runs came in boundaries – 68 out of 79. Only Rohit Sharma’s innings against SL in Indore in 2017 — where he scored 108/118 runs in just boundaries — had a higher share of boundaries (75+ runs).
“It’s about expressing myself. The plan was simple. IPL has helped me a lot. I haven’t seen a team environment like this. When it’s coming from the captain and coach, to play freely, it’s special. The way they (England pacers) bowled, I was ready for it,” Abhishek stated.
With the win, India take the 1-0 lead over England in the five-match T20I series. Both sides will face each other next on Friday in Chennai.
