Harare: Abhishek Sharma thanked the Indian team management and captain Shubman Gill for keeping faith in his bowling after the first two games against Zimbabwe. Making his debut for India in the five-match T20I series, Sharma did impress with his batting, which included a hundred, but failed to take a wicket in the first three games. However, he returned with two wickets in the final two games.
Rewarded for a brilliant Indian Premier League season with Sunrisers Hyderabad, Sharma scored a duck on debut before making a brilliant comeback with a 100 in his second game. With the ball, Sharma conceded 66 runs in his first three games. He got his maiden wicket in the fourth match in the form of Tadiwanashe Marumani.
“Special mention to Shubman and coaches for trusting in my bowling after the first two games, I did not bowl well also, I’m working hard on my bowling and it’s good to have the backing from the management,” Sharma said after the fifth T20I which India won by 42 runs to take the series 4-1 .
Coming with a relatively young side, India had a disastrous start as Zimbabwe beat Shubman Gill’s side in the first T20I. It was a wake-up call for the Men in Blue as the visitors won all the four games on bounce to take the series. “After the 1st game everyone woke up and we were clinical after that. Really proud of the boys and enjoyed it to the max,” admitted Riyan Parag, another Indian debutant in the series.
Speaking about Gill as captain, Parag spoke highly of the India opener. “It has been fun, we have played age group together, under-16. He has been like a captain even when he was not captain. In the field he has been exceptional,” added the first men’s Assamese cricketer to play for India.
