India opener Abhishek Sharma has come under scrutiny after another failure in the first T20I against South Africa at Kingsmead, Durban.
After his breakthrough IPL 2024 season for SRH, Abhishek earned his maiden India call-up for the T20I tour of Zimbabwe in July this year. The southpaw announced his arrival to international cricket by smashing a dazzling century in just his second T20I appearance against Zimbabwe in Harare.
Since then, Abhishek has failed to play a single knock of any substance. In fact, his T20I numbers paint a sorry picture of inconsistency – 166 runs in 8 innings at an average of 20.75.
After his single-digit score (7) in the series opener against South Africa, Abhishek Sharma’s ultra-aggressive approach was highlighted by former cricketer Aakash Chopra.
Chopra highlighted the stark contrast between Abhishek’s performance and that of his opening partner Sanju Samson, who played a blistering knock of 107 in just 50 balls in Durban.
"It's a tale of two openers. There is Sanju (Samson), whose stars are shining bright, on one side. On the other side is Abhishek Sharma, whose stars have fallen. When he struck a century against Zimbabwe, he was that shining new bright star," Chopra said in a video posted on his YouTube channel.
The cricketer-turned-commentator was critical of the shot selection that led to Sharma's dismissal against Gerald Coetzee.
"The shot he played in this match as well against Gerald Coetzee, it seems like he is a prisoner of his own reputation, that he would play like this only and is not going to wait," Chopra stated, before warning the youngster that continued underperformance could put his T20I spot in danger.
"It's been one more failure. A time will come when it will be a problem. Questions will be asked about how long you will stick with him. Again, he will get three more games, but one by one the sand is being seen slipping from his hand," he remarked.
With three more games remaining the series, the pressure will be on the 24-year-old to justify his place in the squad.
The second T20I is slated to take place in Gqeberha on Sunday (November 10).
