It wasn’t always clean, but it was devastatingly effective. After a stop-start tournament with three ducks along the way, Abhishek Sharma saved his most impactful innings for the biggest stage, smashing an 18-ball half-century against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final. His assault powered India to 92 for 0 in the powerplay, with Sanju Samson contributing 33 in the first six overs as India built a platform they would ride to a match-winning 255 for 5.
On ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show, Faf du Plessis and Anil Kumble dissected Abhishek’s innings and the tactical adjustments behind it.
“He [is] like all good players,” du Plessis said. “When he was up against South Africa, they bowled all the slower balls to him, took the pace off, [went] really wide. He’s now seen what teams do – they have the two fielders on the off side, whether it’s two there or a point or a cover. Tonight, he knew what the plan was going to be and he just moved across and had the closest thing to hit the ball to the left side.
“So that shows you something he’s worked on: it’s tactically, how do I counter it when they go wide and slow to me?”
Kumble agreed that the counter was deliberate. Abhishek played the second over, from offspinner Glenn Phillips cautiously, but took off when the seamers came back.
“That’s his game plan – he likes pace,” Kumble said. “And as Faf mentioned, New Zealand had a very clear plan: bowl slower and wider with that extra cover there. Abhishek moved away from the line to counter that and looked to play straight, which is something he does well. And he looked to hit straight and then whenever it was a bit short, he took them on. So, yes, really good innings. He survived that one over of offspin [from Phillips], which again, he defended.
“He was literally playing with a dead [straight] bat. So, it was not like he was looking to play across, although there was not much spin. He looked to play straight and once he got through that six or seven balls in that first two overs, then he was on a roll.”
Abhishek had struggled against offspin in the tournament, averaging 9.67 with a strike rate of 107.41, which made Phillips’ second over an interesting early match-up. New Zealand conceded just 12 runs from the first two overs, bowled by Matt Henry and Phillips, but then moved away and leaked 80 in the next four.
Kumble thought New Zealand – who had dropped offspinner Cole McConchie for a seamer in Jacob Duffy – should have used another over of Phillips instead of going for four different bowlers in the powerplay.
“He [Phillips] should have followed up because even Matt Henry bowled a good first over,” Kumble said. “He got hit for a six, but then Glenn Phillips followed it up with a nice over. And then suddenly, Mitch Santner thought that he needs to get Duffy in, [Lockie] Ferguson in. So, there were four bowlers in that powerplay, which was, I thought, a bit slightly, a bit of overthinking there.
2:06
T20 World Cup final – Should Phillips have bowled more in the powerplay
Faf du Plessis, Anil Kumble and Martin Guptill try and assess where NZ got it wrong in the powerplay
You expect the offspinner to bowl at Abhishek Sharma. Fourth over, when the bowler [Ferguson] had to start, Abhishek Sharma was on strike. So, he could have, again, bowled Glenn Phillips.”
Du Plessis understood Santner’s thinking but felt the uncertainty around a part-time option might have played a role.
“What Mitch Santner is thinking there is, there is the offspin match-up, so we have to try it. But it’s a part-time offspinner, so I’m not sure what he’s going to do in his second over when both batters are set,” du Plessis said. “Which brings me back to the conversation, McConchie being a weapon against the left-handers in the powerplay. Proven and tested against South Africa, got two massive wickets, and he also stopped the powerplay.
“Now, Abhishek has faced two or three balls against the offspinner. And then it seamed from both ends, which is exactly, if you ask him what he wants, he got that today.”
