Abhishek Sharma bounced back from his forgetful T20I debut for India and scored 100 runs from just 47 balls in the second T20I played against Zimbabwe on Sunday (July 7). During his stay at the crease at Harare Sports Club, the 23-year-old left-handed batter scored seven fours and eight sixes. The 100-run knock in his second international match must have boosted Abhishek’s confidence, but ahead of the third T20I between India and Zimbabwe on Wednesday (July 10), former Zimbabwe captain and legendary batter Andy Flower has warned the youngster about big competition.
According to Flower, with India entering the transition phase after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s retirement from T20Is, competition between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Abhishek for the opener’s role is a battle to watch out for.
Like Abhishek, Jaiswal is also a top-order left-handed batter who is known for his attacking style. He was part of the Indian team that won the T20 World Cup 2024 last month but didn’t get a chance to play in any of the eight matches.
During an interaction with Sony Sports, the 56-year-old Flower said, “Well, we have got Jaiswal still coming into the series, haven’t we? So that sort of competition is exactly what the Indian selectors and all the Indian followers are looking for. It makes it really interesting, and it’s great for the Indian game if they have lots of options like that.”
The former Zimbabwe captain was impressed by Abhishek’s batting approach in the second T20I and said that he is looking forward to seeing more of him in the upcoming matches.
“He should be confident at the moment, coming off such a great IPL and then getting a hundred in his second international match. So what a great start! It’s really important to get those runs as a young player because confidence and self-belief are so important to your chances of doing well. So, I am very happy for him, and I am looking forward to seeing more of him in this series,” Flower added.
After returning to India with the rest of the T20 World Cup 2024 winning team, Jaiswal attended the victory parade in Mumbai on July 4 and then boarded a flight for Zimbabwe to be available for selection in the last three T20Is.
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