Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan heaped praise on India opener Abhishek Sharma for his explosive 59-run innings off 24 balls against England in the rain-affected first T20I in Chester-le-Street on Wednesday (July 1).

Pathan noted that Abhishek has unique bat control and ability to hit anywhere on the field. His knock was laced with 6 fours and 4 sixes.

Riding on half-centuries from Abhishek and captain Shreyas Iyer (68 off 47), India set England a 190-run target in the series opener. However, the game didn’t produce a result as inclement weather denied the visitors a chance to start their chase.

"Even before the match had started, we were saying that his approach should not change because he has the ability to play aggressively. The control he has over the bat, the way he manoeuvres it, not everyone has this ability. However, Abhishek Sharma has it," Pathan said during a discussion on JioHotstar.

Pathan mentioned that Sharma can overcome any conditions simply by waiting and reading the bowler's next variation.

"In the same over, he played straight, turned the bat and hit square of the wicket, and then played the pull shot very easily. He should only know which bowler is coming with which variation against him. If he knows that, the conditions won't matter to him, because then he can wait," he added.

In the same discussion, former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim stated that Abhishek Sharma’s designated job in the team is to attack from the first ball and not to spend time settling in.

"Such knocks are expected from him. If you expect Abhishek to adapt to the conditions and play shots after taking a little time, this place is not made for him. His job is to score runs at a high strike rate, which has always been India's vision. A few failures might come in between, but you shouldn't change your template to score runs," Saba said.

The former India selector pointed out that Sharma was severe on both pacers and spinners. He further opined the southpaw shouldn’t change his aggressive batting style.

"The way he made room against the pace bowlers, moved towards the leg side against short balls, played inside-out shots and the upper cut, and used his feet brilliantly against the spinners, he did the job expected from him perfectly. This is what makes him different," Saba remarked.

The second T20I of the five-match series is slated to take place at Old Trafford, Manchester on Saturday (July 4).