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“He must pick…”: Irfan Pathan advises Abhishek Sharma to balance fire with finesse

Poulomi Chakraborty

Irfan Pathan's advice for Abhishek Sharma (Source: @SPRTYVISHAL/x.com, @@RikzaRafi/x.com/x.com)Irfan Pathan's advice for Abhishek Sharma (Source: @SPRTYVISHAL/x.com, @@RikzaRafi/x.com/x.com)

In a rain-affected five-match T20I series, Team India clinched the victory by a 2-1 margin. Amid the ups and downs, Abhishek Sharma stood blazing at the crease, his fearless strokeplay turning every innings into a spectacle.

As the young opener has been a massive strength for India’s top order, former Indian player Irfan Pathan came up with some advices for him. He praised Abhishek’s attacking spark but warned that once opponents study his approach, the same aggression could turn risky.

Irfan Pathan guides Abhishek Sharma to stay unpredictable

After Team India’s T20 side underwent some major changes after the 2024 T20 World Cup, the Men in Blue found a fearless warrior in the form of Abhishek Sharma. Making his debut last year, he stunned the world with his fearless batting. In the recently ended five-match T20I series against Australia, he ended up being the highest run scorer, clinching the Player of the Series award.

Whenever the young opener stepped into the field, the field turned into a nightmare for the opponent bowlers, but former Indian star Irfan Pathan came with some advice for him. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Pathan is urging Abhishek to temper that aggression with awareness.

“Abhishek Sharma got the Player of the series award and he has been playing fearlessly but we are talking about bilateral series here. Although Asia Cup was a multi-nation series. But teams are well-prepared in World Cups. If Abhishek Sharma steps out and plays every time, teams will start working him out. So, he must pick and choose and I’m sure team management will be concentrating on this. Even Yuvraj Singh will be focusing on it. I will even speak to Yuvi (laughs),” he said.

Pathan draws attention to Abhishek’s repeated struggles against Ellis

In the entire series, fans enjoyed Abhishek Sharma’s exceptional batting, but Nathan Ellis continued his consistent struggle. In the five-match T20I series, Ellis dismissed him thrice, and that became a concern. Irfan Pathan urged the youngster to learn from those moments and sharpen his game before the crucial tournament.

“Nathan Ellis troubled him; hence, bowlers around the world will bowl to him with variation in the powerplay. Hence, he needs to focus on that, especially the bat flow. If slower ones come with varied pace – because balls can come up to head high, we saw that in Australia. Hence, Abhishek must work on these things,” he added.

After wrapping up the T20I series against Australia on high, Abhishek Sharma captivated fans hearts. Now, with South Africa up next on home turf, they are buzzing for another round of fireworks from the youngster.