Former BCCI chief selector and 1983 World Cup winner Sandeep Patil recently offered his blunt verdict on India’s T20I openers -- Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Patil highly praised the explosive, "license to kill" attacking intent of both Sharma and Sooryavanshi, but issued a direct reality check regarding their struggles against the moving ball away from home.
He stated that they cannot afford to be a "lion at home and a cat overseas," pointing specifically to their statistical drop-off during the tour of England in July.
While the Punjab southpaw managed 131 runs across five matches at an average of 26.20, the 15-year-old prodigy scored just 42 runs in three games after making his India debut in that series.
"There is one thing I would like to say about their batting. Due respect to Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, we have seen that when they travelled outside India and the ball started moving around a little, they faced some difficulties. These two young players will also have to pay attention to that aspect and work on it. Lion at home and cat overseas. This shouldn't happen," Patil told SportsNext.
After the disappointing tour of England, Sooryavanshi delivered Player-of-the-Series performance against Zimbabwe, scoring 151 runs in three T20Is at the Harare Sports Club.
On the other hand, Abhishek slammed a record-shattering 30-ball century in the recently concluded T20I series against Afghanistan in Delhi.
Sandeep Patil was not one bit surprised by their dominating display in friendlier batting conditions.
"I wasn't surprised. Abhishek scored a century, and the Indian team scored 100 runs in six overs. I don't know whether this is the first or last time it will happen, or when we'll see it happen again. But you have to give them credit. You know, these young players in modern-day cricket have been given a license to kill, and they are using it absolutely the right way. Whether it's Abhishek or Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, I would say it's remarkable," Patil said.
"They have tremendous power, quality, and skill, and they are making the right use of those skills. They don't hold back. We always used to say, 'Don't play half-heartedly.' They play with full commitment and go for their shots from the very first ball. You have to call it remarkable," he remarked.
