NEW DELHI: A few creases may have eased on the brows of the Indian think tank as they watched Abhishek Sharma unleash his trademark big hits during the nets session on Saturday.
The explosive opener had missed the Namibia game and even spent a day at a private hospital in New Delhi due to a stomach infection, raising doubts over his availability for the high-voltage clash against Pakistan on Sunday.
But the left-hander looked fresh and unfazed, batting for nearly 30 minutes at the RPICS nets without any visible discomfort.
India’s practice, though, was slightly disrupted by light but steady rain, forcing the players to shift indoors for a large part of the session.
Abhishek sends early warning
Abhishek began by taking on spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy, dispatching them to the far corners of the Premadasa — almost as if sending a message to Pakistan’s spin-heavy attack led by the unconventional Usman Tariq.
Once done with the tweakers, the 25-year-old moved to the adjacent nets to face the pacers and was just as fluent, striking teammates and local bowlers cleanly with effortless power.
There wasn’t much exaggerated footwork, except when he stepped out to charge, but his quick hands and sharp reading of length more than made up for it.
Kotak’s Words Ring True
India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak had spoken about Abhishek’s approach ahead of the fifth T20I against New Zealand in Thiruvananthapuram.
“He is someone who plays a lot of shots, but his shots don’t seem like slogging. He is playing more on the merit of the ball.
“I feel it’s very important when you are an aggressive batsman, and you are trying to play maximum shots on the merit of the ball,” Kotak had said.
Saturday’s net session felt like a perfect endorsement of those words from the Saurashtra stalwart.
Skipper Drops a Hint
A few minutes before the batting drills began, skipper Suryakumar Yadav all but hinted at Abhishek’s return for the Pakistan fixture.
“Okay, if you want him to play, then we will play him tomorrow. All the worries are over?” he remarked with a broad smile.
With Abhishek regaining fitness, Sanju Samson is likely to make way as the Punjab batter reunites with the in-form Ishan Kishan at the top of the order for Sunday’s showdown.
Pakistan captain Salman Agha is also aware that Abhishek could walk back into the side, though he chose to stress that his team’s plans would revolve around India as a unit rather than focusing on any single player.
(With PTI Inputs)
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