The left-handed opener has been India's most-destructive batters in T20I cricket in recent times.
Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and chose to bat. The national anthems followed, after which the players took the field. It was all normal. Until something strange caught the eye of the spectators. Opener Abhishek Sharma walked out to bat wearing Mohammed Siraj’s jersey.
Any player putting on the jersey of his teammate is quite the sight in sport, as it is not something seen on a frequent basis. And that is exactly what caught the eyeballs of the spectators around the world. However, Abhishek Sharma had a bit of a situation in front of him which forced him to react in the manner.
Apparently, the Indian youngster told one of the substitutes to get his jersey for him from the dressing room. But as it turned out, there was no time for that – as the players soon had to walk out to the middle. And that is what led Abhishek to walk in wearing Siraj’s jersey.
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The 25-year-old is yet to get off the mark in the tournament, and has scored ducks in all the three matches India have played so far. He did not take the field in the game against Namibia, citing reasons for an upset tummy – for which he did not field in the game against the United States of America (USA).
That being said, the Men in Blue will hope that the youngster soon gets back to form. India skipper Suryakumar Yadav has backed Abhishek as he mentioned in one of his interviews, that he would play him even if he was dismissed for a duck 20 times.
Though he is out of form, the Indian skipper’s confidence has got a lot to do with the style that Abhishek Sharma plays his cricket in. The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener plays with a strike-rate of 193.29, which is extremely high for any batter, in any position in the shortest format. That being said, teams have been successful in keeping Abhishek quiet so far.
One of the things teams have done wonderfully well, is to not let him off the hook. Moreover, in two of the last three matches, the Indian opener has been dismissed to an off-spinner bowling round the wicket. Abhishek Sharma will have to clear his head before the Men in Blue head into the Super 8s – where each game will be intense and challenging.
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