New Delhi [India], September 14 : Former South African AB de Villiers spoke on Indian opener Abhishek Sharma ahead of the clash against Pakistan, lauding him for his "incredible power and hand-eye coordination" and how he finds the middle of the bat more often than most players.
Abhishek will be featuring in the Asia Cup clash against Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday. In the first clash against the UAE while chasing 58 runs, he scored a quickfire 16-ball 30, with two fours and three sixes, continuing his fine form for the year.
Speaking on his YouTube Channel, Abhishek said, "I think he is the power player. He loves slower balls and flat bats in the V. Incredible power and great hand-eye coordination. He finds the middle of the bat more often than most players. He is a handful in those first six overs. He hits it all over the ground, which is a problem for the opposition bowlers and captain. Just really difficult to bowl to, you need to be spot on with your execution if you want to counter his ability."
In 18 T20Is, Abhishek has scored 565 runs in 17 innings at an average of 33.23, with a strike rate of 193.49, including two centuries and two fifties.
He also gave advice to Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav on playing slower deliveries, urging him to rotate strike if he is struggling to hit well on slower deliveries.
"When you face slower balls you need the ability to keep your base and shape for a longer period of time and allow the ball to come into your space. I would not say its his weakness especially if he does not get out to it often. My advice to him would be if you are struggling to clear the boundary in front of square off slower balls, just make sure you rotate, maybe get two runs, the bowler cannot just always bowl slower balls. I do not think it is a weakness," he concluded.
Ever since taking up captaincy in T20Is last year, Suryakumar has struggled for form, scoring just 265 runs in 15 innings at an average of 18.92 and a strike rate of 163.58, with two fifties and a best score of 75. Also, he has a poor record against Pakistan, scoring just 64 runs in five matches at an average of 12.80, with a best score of 18.
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