Ravichandran Ashwin urged Abhishek Sharma to respect the conditions instead of trying to play the same ultra-aggressive brand of cricket every time. This assessment from the former India off-spinner came after the Sunrisers Hyderabad were comprehensively beaten by 82 runs by the Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, May 12.
On a bowling-friendly track, Abhishek was dismissed for just six runs off four balls by Kagiso Rabada, as the Orange Army was chasing a 169-run target. Ashwin opined that if there is something in the pitch for the bowlers, like there was on Tuesday, Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill are better options than Abhishek.
“Abhishek Sharma needs to work on this. T20 cricket has changed. Abhishek Sharma is picked in the Indian team because he plays a fearless brand of cricket. But if T20 cricket is given these kinds of pitches tomorrow, Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill will be more useful. I want T20 cricket to be played on such pitches. But not just these pitches, because the spinners were not in the game here. I want spinners to be in the game as well,” Ashwin said in his latest YouTube video.
The 39-year-old Ashwin went on to use an interesting car analogy to explain that Abhishek needed to alter his batting approach as per the conditions on Tuesday.
“Abhishek Sharma hit a six off Kagiso Rabada with extension. This means that this guy has a lot of time and is very talented. His bat swing is very good. What did he do next? He exposed all three stumps. The ball came in, hit his chest, and he was bowled. Can’t Abhishek Sharma play that shot? He can. You can drive above 100 kmph on a highway and even up to 200 kmph, but who will die if you drive at the same speed in a traffic jam? Cricket is a game where conditions are the king,” he added.
“Go to the other end, build a partnership” – R Ashwin wants Abhishek Sharma to learn from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
Ashwin advised Abhishek to take lessons from legends like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma on how to read the conditions and build partnerships.
“I am the No. 1 fan of Abhishek Sharma, and I want to see him read these conditions and take a single. Go to the other end, build a partnership. King Kohli and Rohit Sharma are celebrated because they read the conditions well,” Ashwin said.
Despite being in the twilight of their illustrious careers, Kohli and Rohit have shown the world that they can still compete with the younger talents during the ongoing IPL. The former has scored 379 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 163.36. Meanwhile, Rohit has amassed 243 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 177.38.
