New Zealand batter Mark Chapman believes that Abhishek Sharma’s incredible six-hitting ability is the result of astute game awareness and preparation rather than blind aggression. He says the Kiwis will try to learn some tips from the dynamic Indian opener before the T20 World Cup next month.
As India chased down a 154-run target in just 10 overs to grab an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, the World No. 1 T20I batter extended his brilliant form with a 20-ball 68 not out, including a 14-ball fifty with five sixes.
The Kiwis have been the target of Abhishek’s constant attack throughout the series. He hit eight sixes in a 35-ball 84 in the first game as India amassed 238/7 to register a convincing victory.
“To be honest, their batting has been dynamic and explosive. I haven’t seen much of him play in person. But his six-hitting ability is second to none. Just the way he goes about it, he seems like he’s really putting some thought into his batting. Obviously he’s playing some really good cricket at the moment. That’s just the nature of T20 cricket. When someone’s playing really well, they can be hard to stop at times. There’s a lot for us to look at and review. In all three facets, we can definitely improve,” PTI quoted Chapman as saying in the post-match media interaction in Guwahati on Sunday.
Even though they can’t win the series from here, Chapman believed that playing India was the best way to get ready for the T20 World Cup. The Kiwis are eager to improve their game before starting their World Cup campaign against Afghanistan in Chennai on February 8.
“We’re going to have to look at getting some bigger scores. The surfaces have been really good, but we’re well aware that not every surface in India is an absolute belter. There will be times when the ball turns, so we’ve got to be ready for everything. From our point of view, there’s no better preparation for a World Cup than facing one of the best T20 teams in the world. It’s great to see the way they’re going about their business, so hopefully we can learn one or two things off them.”
In contrast to India’s blazing starts, New Zealand’s power play returns have also hurt them in the series.
“It’s disappointing today not to get as many, but having said that, we’ve got batters throughout the order who are capable of clearing the ropes. Yeah, obviously it’s not ideal losing a couple of early wickets in the power play. But you also have to give credit where it’s due. I thought the Indians bowled really well. They tied us down and we just weren’t able to get the ball away, unfortunately.
“Obviously it’s disappointing to be out of the series already. India have played some really, really good cricket. There are some things that we can tidy up on our end and, from our point of view, it’s about reviewing. Obviously we’ve got one eye on the World Cup as well. We’ve got two more games here. For us, it’s about fine-tuning things and getting better each game to put us in good stead for that first game against Afghanistan,” he concluded.
