Dubai, Sep 29 The finale with Pakistan was an anticlimax of sorts as he was dismissed for five runs, but opener Abhishek Sharma was really instrumental in India winning the title in the Men's T20 Asia Cup 2005, setting the tournament ablaze with his emphatic, attacking batting that left the opponents dazed.
Abhishek Sharma, who gave India blazing starts throughout the tournament and shared crucial partnerships with vice-captain Shubman Gill to lay the foundations for India in victories, ended the tournament with 314 runs in seven matches at an average of 44.85 and a strike rate of 200.
For his brilliant batting, the left-handed opener was adjudged the Player of the Tournament and said getting a car (the prize for Player of the Tournament) was always a pleasure. This is his maiden POTM award for the Men in Blue.
"Getting a car is always a pleasure (smiles). Getting into this team after winning the World Cup was not easy for any opener. We had a plan that we had to play our game and show our intent from the first ball. Worked really hard on that," said Abhishek during the post-match presentation ceremony at the Dubai International Stadium here on Sunday night.
On the occasion, Abhishek credited the support he received from captain Suryakumar Yadav, the coach, and the support staff for his brilliant performance.
"If you play like this, you need special support from the coach and captain, and that is what I have been getting. If I do well and get those impact innings for the team, we should win. If you want to play like this, you will get failures - that is, the team you have to realize that if you play like this, you will win games for your team as well, and just follow the process.
The 25-year-old opener from Punjab said he had made up his mind to go after the bowlers from the first ball and capitalise on the fielding restrictions in the Power-play.
"I had a plan (on adjusting to different surfaces), and I would utilize the Powerplay. Spinners, fast bowlers, any of the premium fast bowlers as well…I had it in my mind that I had to go from the first ball. That is going to help me give impact to my team, and that is what happened," said Abhishek.
Though Abhishek and Shubman Gill, along with skipper Suryakumar Yadav, got out early, Tilak Varma anchored India's five-wicket triumph with an unbeaten 69. He got good support from Sanju Samson (24) and Shivam Dube (33).
It was spinner Kuldeep Yadav (4-30), Varun Chakravarthy (2-30), and Axar Patel (2-26) who laid the foundation for the victory in the final by reeling in a rampaging Pakistan from 113/1 to 146 all out.
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