On a calm Sunday morning in Jaipur, about ten minutes into his net practice, Punjab captain Abhishek Sharma stopped and asked teammate Gaurav Chaudhary a question that showed his desire and creativity.
“Field kya hai?” he inquired, referring to a hypothetical field assignment.
“Mid-off single saving ke liye rakkha hai (mid-off fielder is to save singles)” was the lanky off-spinner’s prompt response.
What came next was both expected and amazing. The ball was cleanly thrown out of sight with a well-known bat swing and a flawless arc.
At the gorgeous Anantam Cricket Ground, which is situated on farmland just outside the city limits of Jaipur, the world’s top T20 batter hit at least 45 sixes for about an hour, almost completely ignoring defense.
In a specialized batting session, Abhishek intended to play exclusively spinners, such as off-breaks, leg-breaks, and slow left-arm orthodox, on a pitch where the ball gripped frequently and provided significant turn if bowlers hit the correct spots.
The left-hander did request that the groundsman run the light roller, but the difficulty did not decrease because the net bowlers’ deliveries continued to act strangely, with some rising unexpectedly and others remaining dangerously low. Every time the length was slightly shortened, Abhishek had trouble, but it was delightful to see how he used his feet.
Abhishek would stroll down the track, tap his bat at the indentation, and then show off his mastery after being defeated or witnessing the ball jump off the area. He would waltz down the track and loft both off-breaks and googlies (turning away from the southpaw) inside out over more cover if the length was brought back.
The ball landed in the portico of a nearby high-rise residential building at least five times.
Sandeep Sharma, the team’s head coach, made a lighthearted remark in Punjabi about how frequently the inside-out stroke was used: “Tu apni century poori karan layi extra cover de upar hi chakke maarna chaunda ae (You want to complete your century with only sixes over extra cover).”
For the false shot, where the bat face typically shuts against deliveries that pause and come late, a red fielding net was positioned at short extra cover. After falling into that trap once, he swiftly learned from it and decided to hit a few consecutive sixes instead.
The 25-year-old intended to practice on one of the five center strips, which are all red-soil tracks, when he came for training about 45 minutes after the rest of the team. But according to BCCI regulations, he was not permitted to bat there because the match strip was not marked.
After that, he bowled left-arm spin for about forty minutes while exchanging batting comments with Uday Kaul, the assistant coach and head coach. It was time for the captain to put on his pads after the team had finished their workout.
At first, he chose to take on the pacers, but as one of the young net bowlers kept bowling on a fifth-stump line, Abhishek said, “Bhai, you please come closer to the stumps.”
Observing the top T20 batsman in the world also provided insight into his mentality, as he has schooled himself to attack at all costs, reflecting the team’s overall attitude.
Six-hitting seemed to come naturally to him. During the hour-long nets, there were three or four dismissals, but they all occurred while defending. He always appeared to be in control when attacking, which India would like to see over the course of the next 9 weeks.
