Former India coach Abhishek Nayar appreciated Abhishek Sharma‘s presence of mind during the pressure match against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Abhishek Sharma, the out-of-form opener, departed quickly again in the T20 World Cup 2026. He departed with only 10 runs from 11 balls.
Nayar believed the opener lost his wicket as he was well aware of the fact that his slow batting could harm the team. The former cricketer felt it was a well-thought-out calculative action by the young batter.
Abhishek Sharma displayed a rare slow batting vs the West Indies
The T20 format is mostly about scoring runs at a quick pace. Off-form Abhishek Sharma was unable to do that. As the number of overs is very limited, players of both of the teams need to make decisions quickly. Sharma did the same. As he was not scoring runs at a desirable pace, he left the space for the following batters in the line-up, which did work.
“You generally measure it by how quickly you start, and how you score more runs off fewer balls. That didn’t happen today (Sunday), but generally it’s said that if you are unable to score runs, get out because the others will get an opportunity. That’s the difference in T20 cricket. Shai Hope played the entire powerplay and then got out”, Nayar stated on Star Sports.
Team India benefited from Abhishek Sharma’s dismissal
The southpaw tried to go aggressive, but failed to execute. If he stayed on the pitch for a few more overs and faced some more deliveries in the process, then, ultimately, the team could be under the immense pressure of a towering asking rate.
“So when Abhishek Sharma got stuck on nine off nine balls, it’s fine if he gets out. If he had batted more, the others also wouldn’t have gotten a chance, and it’s not easy to make a comeback in T20 cricket. Yes, he didn’t score runs, but he still batted for the team’s benefit because he tried to take the strike rate and run rate up so that the team would win”, the 42-year-old observed.
The former India coach praised Tilak Varma for supporting Sanju Samson
Nayar also praised Tilak Varma for his explosive knock. Chasing 196 runs against West Indies, the middle-order batter played a 27-run knock with a strike rate of 180.00. In the 15-ball innings, Varma smashed four 4s, and one 6. Varma’s 27 off 15 must have offered some relief to Sanju Samson, the Player of the India vs West Indies match, who helped India by scoring an unbeaten 97 from 50 balls at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
“That knock had so much dominance that I felt the pressure on Sanju Samson got reduced. As a set batter, when you have scored 50 runs, you want the batter batting with you to hit fours and sixes so that your job becomes easier,” the former India assistant coach further added.
Read More: “Dukhi mat ho…”: Rohit Sharma’s words to Sanju Samson age like gold amid T20 World Cup 2026
