Indian team’s star opener Abhishek Sharma has stressed the importance of his preparation, revealing that despite being an instinctive aggressor, he is also learning to think like the bowlers trying to stop him.

This comes after he hammered 69 in 30 balls with 6 fours and 5 sixes in the recent third T20I between India and West Indies, which was played in Indore. His knock and contributions from other batters helped India post 223 runs in 20 overs, after being asked to bat after losing the toss.

The left-hander examines their strategies, prepares for their difficulties, and searches for methods to counter them before he steps out to bat.

Having scored 108 against Afghanistan in Delhi, the next five T20I scores he made were 0, 7, 61, 21, and 20. It has been clear from his latest innings how he can perform when he gets going, as well as his post-performance remarks about how he works.

“Preparation is really important. If I want to continue playing like this and utilise the powerplay, as the team wants me to, preparation really matters. I always believe it depends on which team I’m going to play against and which bowlers I’m going to face. Whenever I have time, whether it’s a week, a few days, or two or three days, the preparation is very specific: which bowler is going to plan for me, and how I’m going to execute my plan and dominate. That’s always there,” Abhishek Sharma said in the post-match press conference after Indore T20I.

For Abhishek, this also involved getting ready for scenarios where bowlers attempted to cut off his regular scoring choices. He preferred to confront those difficulties during practice instead of facing them for the first time in an actual match.

“It’s very personal for me because, as an attacking batter, if you have to face world-class bowlers, you have to be ready for all the plans. That comes down to my preparation. I always want my preparation in practice to make me a bit uncomfortable so that I wouldn’t be surprised in a match. I always allow myself to be in that position during practice and training so that I won’t be surprised when bowlers and teams actually have that plan in a match,” he added.

Abhishek’s preparation also showed in the way he looked at the field in Indore, as 50 of his 69 runs came on the off side. He preferred gaps on the off side rather than showing his power through the leg side.

“It depends more on the field placement. I don’t play those shots deliberately. It happens when I see the field placement. Whenever the field allows me to give myself room and play those shots, that’s it,” he said.

Abhishek wasn't focused solely on the number of sixes he struck. He aimed to pick a single over in which he could apply pressure on the opposition.

“It’s not about hitting sixes. It’s about getting that big over whenever you can. If you get that start, I feel it doesn’t matter if you hit a four or a six. What matters is whether you can convert that into a big over. That’s always our plan. Whether it’s in the powerplay, the first or second over, or any other over, we try to get that big over in between,” he said.

Abhishek will be in action when India plays West Indies in the fourth T20I in Hyderabad on October 14.

(Indian Express inputs)