India’s latest batting sensation Abhishek Sharma’s father Raj Kumar Sharma has revealed that his son is trying to follow in the footsteps of Rohit Sharma, who recently led India to the 2024 T20 World Cup title.
His batting style has been highly appreciated by fans and pundits across the globe. Since the 2023 ODI World Cup, Rohit has tried to bat with more intent rather than taking his time. His aggressive style of batting has given India spectacular starts, thanks to which India has registered massive scores on the board.
In the recently concluded T20 World Cup, Rohit finished as the second-highest scorer of the tournament with 257 runs in 8 matches, at an average of 36.71. He batted at a strike rate of 156.70, which is excellent considering that the pitches in the US and the Caribbean were bowler-friendly.
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In an interview with The Indian Express, Raj Kumar Sharma revealed that his son Abhishek is trying to follow in the footsteps of Rohit Sharma in terms of his aggressive batting style. Raj Kumar also added that Abhishek is trying to bat as per the current demands of T20 cricket.
“The demand in T20 cricket now is to attack from the first ball. You have to be brave. Rohit Sharma has shown the way to all the young Indians. The model is set and I am glad that Abhishek is trying to follow in Rohit’s footsteps,” Raj Kumar Sharma said.
Raj Kumar backed his son to bat in this style as he has shown consistency and aggression in the past.
“I hope he continues to play in this style and I don’t think this approach is a double-edged sword. He has shown consistency,” he added.
Raj Kumar Sharma advises Abhishek Sharma to stick to his batting style
Raj Kumar Sharma also revealed that Abhishek was disappointed with the way he came out after the first T20I and even blamed his batting style for his dismissal.
“He was a bit disheartened. You can’t blame him. When you are bowled out without a hit on debut, you question your strategy. He was blaming himself for his obsession with batting six times. I reminded him that his ability to bat six times helped him get this far. Why change your style now? Stick to it,” Raj Kumar advised his son to maintain his aggressive batting style.
True to his father’s words, Abhishek stuck to his natural batting style and managed to score a brilliant century in just his second T20I. The young left-hander scored 100 off 47 balls, which included 7 fours and 8 sixes.
Abhishek Sharma had a brilliant season in the IPL 2024, where he scored 484 runs in 16 matches at an average of 32.27 and an exceptional strike rate of 204.22. His aggressive style of batting was highly appreciated in cricket circles, which paved the way for his selection in the Indian squad for the tour of Zimbabwe.
