Asked About Competition With Gill And Jaiswal, Abhishek Sharma Gives Blunt Answer
After firing a record-breaking ton in the fifth T20I at the Wankhede Stadium, Abhishek Sharma downplayed the competition for the opening slot between him, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal. With Gill and Jaiswal being cooped up in the ODI and Test formats, Abhishek has been the preferred candidate for the opening slot. After an underwhelming run in South Africa, the young southpaw made the most of the opportunity by turning the tides against England. After making a promising start to the series with a belligerent 79(34), Abhishek stored his best for the last T20I of the five-match affair. He brought thunder down at the Wankhede with a swashbuckling performance, toppling numerous records on his way to 135(54), second fastest century for India.
With India having some time on their hands before appearing in the T20I once again, Abhishek made a strong case for himself to avoid jostling for a spot when the star duo return to the format in future.
"I had met Jassu [Jaiswal] and Shubman yesterday [at the BCCI awards]. There has never been a competition among us - we are playing together since Under-16. There was just one dream - to play for India. The three of us are playing now, so there is no better feeling," Abhishek said as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
The flamboyant southpaw looked effortless while dealing with boundaries. The sheer timing and the raw power overwhelmed England in the first innings as India surged to a herculean total of 249/9.
After his carnage ended at the Wankhede, Abhishek revealed it was captain Suryakumar Yadav's advice that helped him on his way to break the shackles and express himself freely.
"I was in a zone where I was going to react to the ball. I didn't even know my score. I just asked Surya