5 days ago
7
ARTICLE AD BOX
Indian opener Abhishek Sharma scored 84 off 35 and struck eight sixes against New Zealand in the first T20I. (Express Photo by Dhananjay Khedkar)
Another match-winning knock from Abhishek Sharma’s bat, striking 84 from 35 balls as India defeated New Zealand in the first T20I in Nagpur on Wednesday, just went to prove further that the 25-year-old is in the form of his life.
Bowling to a batter that is seeing the ball so sharply and striking it so well, requires a bit of fortune, Kiwis all-rounder Glenn Phillips confessed.
“He’s been doing it to some of the fastest bowlers in the world in the IPL too. When a guy is in form like that, you just want to put the ball in the best areas you possibly can and hope he makes a mistake too,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “Obviously you have your plans and you try to meet them to the best of your ability. But sometimes, in this situation, you need a bit of luck too.”
Phillips’ own hefty contribution with the bat went under the radar in Nagpur. He’s scored 78 from 40 balls to keep the Kiwis in the hunt. The loss aside, with the larger picture of the T20 World Cup on these shores next month, he says there’s good information to gain with the match.
ALSO READ | How Abhishek Sharma has rivalled Chris Gayle to become fastest to 5000 T20 runs
But he warned the multi-format tour of India can be a ‘Catch 22’ situation for the New Zealanders. “We do have the opportunity to receive a lot more information than other teams. But at the same time, we would have been here about one and a half months until the World Cup,” Phillips said. “That’s a long time to be on the road.”
“Fatigue and things like that can start kicking in. So we have to try and keep ourselves as fresh as possible in between the games. Rest up and take breaks when possible to give ourselves the best chance,” he added.
English (US) ·