Amidst Abhishek Sharma’s inconsistent start to his T20I career, former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Robin Uthappa has advocated for the team management to grant the young opener a free role. Despite scoring a century in just his second T20I match, Abhishek’s recent performances have raised concerns. In nine T20I innings, he has managed only 166 runs at an underwhelming average of 20.75.
Uthappa believes that the team should emulate the approach taken with Virender Sehwag in the early 2000s, where he was given the freedom to express himself. “I won’t look for too much consistency with someone like him. I would like to leave him as free as possible, like a Virender Sehwag perhaps in the early 2000s, where people were like ‘just go and enjoy yourself’,” Uthappa told Jio Cinema.
Uthappa emphasized that he is not overly concerned about Abhishek’s consistency, as the team has assigned him a specific role of attacking the bowlers from the outset. “Because if it comes, it’s a match-winning hundred or 80, if he gets a quick start, he is still serving the purpose towards the team. So the role is defined. I wouldn’t worry too much about consistency when it comes to Abhishek,” he added.
Abhishek’s breakthrough season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) earlier this year caught the attention of the selectors. He scored 484 runs in 16 matches at an average of 32.26, helping SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) reach the final.
Meanwhile, Sanju Samson’s second consecutive T20I century powered India to a 61-run victory in the first of four matches against South Africa at Kingsmead in Durban on Friday. Opening batter Samson struck 10 sixes and seven fours in a spectacular innings of 107 off 50 balls, contributing to India’s total of 202-8.
Leg-spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi combined to take six wickets as South Africa crumbled to 141 all out.
