New Delhi: cheekily responded to mentor Yuvraj Singh’s playful dig at his inability to hit a 12-ball fifty. The opener smacked a 35-ball century in the in Wellington.
The opener admitted that it’s not easy to score a 12-ball half-century before wondering what kind of cricket Yuvraj was playing back in 2007.
The former India all-rounder had congratulated Abhishek on his match-winning knock, which helped India to seal the series, but also joked that he still could not score a fifty off 12 balls. Abhishek hit 113 runs off just 38 balls with the help of 11 maximums and 9 wickets, helping the visitors to secure a six-wicket win in the third T20I.
Yuvraj Singh’s instagram story for Abhishek Sharma. (Snapshot-Instagram)
Asked about Yuvraj’s dig after the match, the left-hander batter laughed off the challenge and explained why hitting 50 off 12 deliveries was easier said than done.
‘I mean, I’ve said this before as well. I don’t know what cricket he was playing back at that time, but it’s not that easy at all. And I would say if any batter wants to go there and bat like that, it’s not easy at all. You can’t just go and score 50 off 12 balls. It just happens once in a while,’ Abhishek said in the post-match presentation.
Abhishek also made it clear that the Indian batters don’t chase milestones and wanted to make the most of the powerplay along with his partner Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to put New Zealand under pressure from the start.
‘As a batter, we don’t go for that milestone. We always want to win the game for the team, especially Vaibhav. He’s here. So that was the plan, and that’s what we want to take throughout the series as well, and it went well,’ he added.
‘I pretty much manifested this innings’
Abhishek’s sensational knock powered India to a remarkable six-wicket victory, with the visitors chasing down the 199-run target in just 13.2 overs. He stitched a 133-run partnership for the opening wicket with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who also scored 45 off 19.
‘I think the key was pretty simple. It was just me and Vaibhav, just going to enjoy there for a bit, especially in the powerplay. And especially when we were fielding, we were observing the pitch a bit because of this extra bounce. But I feel the dimensions of the ground, we could use the powerplay and we could use the pace as well,’ Abhishek said.
Abhishek also credited the team’s coaching staff for their preparation and said that practising against sidearm deliveries during training had helped him immensely.
‘It’s just the preparation behind the scenes. I would say a special mention to our coaches because of the sidearms; we’ve been playing them a lot. We had a good practice session yesterday, and I just wanted to utilise it, and that’s what I did. And I feel I pretty much, you know, manifested this innings, and it happened,’ he added.
After clinching the series, India will next take on New Zealand in the fourth T20I on Friday, October 30.