Abhishek Sharma’s Hyderabad hurdle: Decoding opener's uncharacteristic slump

29 runs off 24 balls, laced with 3 fours, 1 six and a strike rate of 120.83. These are the numbers one usually doesn’t associate with the world’s most destructive batter, i.e India’s Abhishek Sharma.

Just to put it in context, Abhishek’s career strike rate is a whopping 194.26, the highest ever in T20I history among batters with a minimum of 479 runs.

Ever since smashing a 46-ball century in just his second innings in international cricket, Abhishek has built a reputation of being a ruthless hitter of the cricket ball, taking down opposition without any mercy.

However, on Wednesday, October 14, at his IPL team’s home ground, the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, Abhishek looked like a pale shadow of himself, struggling to get India off to rollicking starts that he’s credited for.

The opener is even more destructive while playing in Hyderabad’s batting paradise, having scored 1004 runs at the venue at a strike rate of 206.58, registering two centuries and seven fifties. However, all of that was missing as Abhishek, who’s known for hitting sixes at will, was seen struggling to put bat on ball.

Abhishek Sharma's record in Hyderabad

An unusual start

The southpaw walked out to bat alongside his opening partner Sanju Samson as India were asked to chase down their highest target in T20I history of 248. With Samson going berserk at one end, Abhishek decided to play second fiddle to his opening partner, facing just eight deliveries in the powerplay.

Until Ishan Kishan’s dismissal in the fifth over, Abhishek had faced just three deliveries and collected his first boundary off the seventh ball, finishing the powerplay on 8* (8). 

The southpaw was on 10 (12) when he collected his second boundary, flicking Keemo Paul towards fine leg. He further clobbered Shamar Springer for a maximum over the sightscreen, taking his strike rate to 137.5.

Just when it seemed that the destructive opener had found his mojo back, he had another quiet period, scoring just three runs off the following five deliveries. Abhishek eventually perished against Gudakesh Motie, caught at long off while trying to clear the fence.

An uncharacteristic innings from India's premier batter also triggered sharp criticism by legendary Sunil Gavaskar, who called it 'unacceptable'. 

“Sanju gave India a great start, but the rest of the batters didn’t capitalise at all. Abhishek Sharma played a poor knock, which is not acceptable by his standards," Gavaskar told Jiostar.

Shai Hope's brave move results in Abhishek's downfall

It was a brave move by captain Shai Hope to bring Motie into the attack despite the presence of two left-handed hard hitters, Abhishek and Tilak Varma, at the crease. However, the gamble paid off as West Indies got to see the back of Indian opener cheaply.

Abhishek had a similar start to his innings in the third T20I in Indore, scoring run-a-ball five before taking on his nemesis Roston Chase and blasting his way to 69 off just 30 deliveries.

No momentum in powerplay

However, in Hyderabad, he remained stuck at one end, while Samson made merry in the powerplay. The southpaw is used to getting off to thunderous starts to his innings inside the first six overs. With Abhishek helping Samson to farm the strike, he failed to build momentum early in his innings, a move that backfired immensely.

Moreover, he has hit seven out of his 14 half-centuries within the first six overs of the innings, which further highlights his dependency on blistering starts.

A smart bowling plan

The smart bowling changes and variations in pace used by the West Indies bowlers were also a clear reflection of their homework against the destructive batter.

While Abhishek was proactive in taking down Chase in the third T20I by making room and clobbering him in the vacant region towards deep cover, he could only tap for singles in Hyderabad. The opposition kept attacking him without giving any room and bowling bouncers into his body, not allowing the batter to free his arms and target his preferred off-side.

It was the amalgamation of all the efforts which eventually resulted in Abhishek’s capitulation at the very place where he was renowned for his belligerent approach. With the series level at 2-2, all eyes will be on the opener again in the fifth and final T20I in Bengaluru to see how he recovers from the scratchy innings.