India batter Ruturaj Gaikwad knows well that it will be “tough” and “hard” to replace retired Virat Kohli at number three spot in T20Is and said he is just focusing on making valuable contributions with the bat in whatever position the team leadership deems fit. The retirement of Kohli, skipper Rohit Sharma and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja from the shortest format following the T20 World Cup triumph has opened the doors for the upcoming players and Gaikwad is one such talented batter who has the potential to seal the No. 3 spot. “This is a big topic and I think it’s not the right point to think about it. To even compare with him (Kohli) or try to fill in his shoes is relatively very tough and very hard,” Gaikwad said on the eve of the third T20I against Zimbabwe.

“As I had said in the IPL as well, it is difficult to fill Mahi Bhai’s shoes as well. Definitely, you want to start your career, you want to start the way you want, you want to play your own game. So that’s the priority right now.”

“Focus on one game, focus on how you can contribute towards the team in whichever position you play and make sure you are on the winning side more often than not.”

Gaikwad has batted at No. 3 position for India in the first two T20Is against Zimbabwe but the Pune-born cricketer said he has no preference and will bat wherever the team requires him.

“No, wherever the team wants, I will bat there. There is no problem. There is not much difference between the opening and the number 3 because you have to play the new ball. So there is not much difference,” he said.

Gaikwad led the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL this year and he said captaincy has made him to get more involved in the game though it didn’t make any difference to his batting.

“Actually, to be honest, nothing has changed much. Because my batting has been the same as before. I have to play with responsibility and try and finish it on my own,” he said.

“It’s just that the way you look at the game, I think every time you are more involved now in the game since you have captained the IPL franchise for a long period of time.

“So you tend to be into the game for a longer period of time instead of just staying in the boundary outside and just focusing on one ball. As I said, batting wise it’s not made much difference.”

Young opener Abhishek Sharma had spoken about how Gaikwad helped him in “keeping perspective” as he went hammer and tongs to blast a match-winning 47-ball 100 in the second T20I.

“Actually, communication is not from a senior player,” Gaikwad said.

“It comes from a batting partner because obviously with non-strikers you feel something about a particular bowler or particular conditions and you have to have that confidence to go and share with your partner whatever you feel and what are the right options, what to do in certain situations.

“Definitely this is something which I have been doing it being part of all the teams whether state team, IPL team or Indian team as well…” 

Team India is all set to take on Zimbabwe in the third T20I on Wednesday in Harare. Opener Abhishek Sharma broke several records with his maiden T20I century against Zimbabwe in the second T20I of the five-match series on Sunday. Abhishek’s knock helped India defeat Zimbabwe by 100 runs and level the series 1-1. This match will be a special one for India as the T20 World Cup winners Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, and Shivam Dube have also joined the squad. Shubman Gill and co are likely to make a few changes to their lineup, in order to include Jaiswal in the Playing XI.

Abhishek, the left-handed opener, did enough to live up to his pre-series hype with a 46-ball century in only his second game and did look the part opening the innings.

However, Jaiswal, with a handsome strike rate of 161 plus in 17 T20I matches, including a hundred and four half-centuries, does have the first claim to be skipper Shubman Gill’s opening partner by virtue of being the reserve opener of the first-choice T20 team.

Although rare but it is not uncommon for batters to be dropped in the very next match after a milestone innings.

But skipper Gill is unlikely to let that happen with his best friend since their U-14 days and someone who scored his first international ton with a willow borrowed from the former.

So, it could well be a case of one of the two southpaws batting at one drop. Sanju Samson, who normally bats at No. 3 for Rajasthan Royals, might come in at No.5, while Ruturaj Gaikwad, who batted at No.3, will probably drop down a place to No.4.

As far as Zimbabwe is concerned, their batting has left a lot to be desired with scores of 115 while batting first and 134 in the second essay chasing 235.

On the Harare Sports Club track where there is a bit of extra bounce available for the spinners, Ravi Bishnoi (6/24 from 8 overs) and Washington Sundar (3/39 in 8 overs) have proved to be unplayable at times.

Bishnoi, who normally bowls 20 to 22 googlies in his 24 balls per match, has varied his pace brilliantly and with home skipper Sikandar Raza being kept quiet, the other batters haven’t looked good enough to counter the Indian bowling attack.

India’s Predicted XI for the 3rd T20I: Shubman Gill (c), Abhishek Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad/Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Riyan Parag, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar

(With PTI Inputs)

Abhishek Sharma was at his best in second T20I against Zimbabwe.© AFP

India opener Abhishek Sharma‘s second T20I against Zimbabwe became more special after former all-rounder Yuvraj Singh congratulated him for his maiden ton for the country in the shortest format of cricket. After enduring a nightmarish start to his T20I career, Abhishek showed his true colours with the bat. From scoring a four-ball duck in his debut game, the 23-year-old youngster bounced back and scored a quick-fire hundred in the second T20I. He went berserk right from the get-go and opened his account with a towering maximum over deep backward square leg. His 47-ball century was laced with seven fours and a whopping eight maximums.

Taking to social media, former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who is the mentor of Abhishek, hailed the youngster, but urged him not to get complacent after just one big knock.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day! Congratulations @IamAbhiSharma4 on the journey to your first International 100! Many more to come,” Yuvraj captioned a post, highlighting Abhishek’s journey.

Rome wasn’t built in a day!

Congratulations @IamAbhiSharma4 on the journey to your first International 100! Many more to come#AbhishekSharma #INDvsZIM pic.twitter.com/7qfZJTiqOd

— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) July 8, 2024

BCCI had also shared a video of Abhishek speaking with Yuvraj on a video call. The former all-rounder who has worked with Abhishek is proud of the youngster and believes many more hundreds will come from the southpaw’s bat.

“I’m very proud. Well done. You deserve it. Many more to come. This is just the start,” Yuvraj told Abhishek on a video call.

Two extremely special phone calls, one memorable bat-story & a first in international cricket!

!

A Hundred Special, ft. Abhishek Sharma – By @ameyatilak

WATCH #TeamIndia | #ZIMvIND | @IamAbhiSharma4 pic.twitter.com/0tfBXgfru9

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 8, 2024

While talking about the special moment, Abhishek thanked Yuvraj for the efforts that he put in on and off the field to help him develop as a player.

“That was, again, a very special moment. I talked to him yesterday. I don’t know why, but he was very happy when I got out on zero. He was like, that’s a good start. But I think he must be very proud today as well. Just like my family. So, I’m really happy,” Abhishek said.

“It is all because of him as well. The hard work he has put on me. Two, three years he’s been working really hard on me and everything. I wouldn’t say just on my cricket, even off the field as well. So, it’s a big moment,” he added.

Abhishek also revealed that the carnage he caused in Harare was from skipper Shubman Gill‘s bat. The young opener acknowledged the fact that he uses Gill’s bat whenever he wants to make a comeback after going through a lean patch.

“I played with his bat only, which I found very difficult. He didn’t even give it to me easily. This has been going on since I was under 14. Whenever I have played from his bat, it’s good. Even today, I want to tell everyone that I played with his bat only, which I found very difficult. He doesn’t even give it easily. That is like my last option when I feel that I have to play with his bat for the comeback,” Abhishek said.

“So, special thanks to Shubman, who gave me his bat and gave it on time. I think this was a much-needed inning for me and the team as well. That is like my last option when I feel that I have to play with his bat for the comeback. When we lost the match yesterday, I thought that today is my day, so I’ll take it till the end,” he added.

While talking about the approach that he adopted for the game, Abhishek stated that he tried to score runs in an over that he was confident about.

“The positive was that we didn’t have much time to think about the next game because it was like on the next day. I felt that as soon as I thought that I could go for this bowler, I tried my best in that over. I was in a flow, so I just wanted to go there and express myself after I spoke to Rutu (Gaikwad) as well. He was also saying that whatever comes to your arc, you have to hit it, so don’t think much about the balls,” Abhishek noted.

After levelling the series 1-1, India will play the third T20I at Harare Sports Club on Wednesday.

(With Added Inputs)

India will find it tough to choose between Yashasvi Jaiswal’s seemingly effortless flamboyance and Abhishek Sharma’s uber-cool aggression at the top when they rejig their combination to make space for World Cup-winning squad members in the third T20 International against Zimbabwe in Harare on Wednesday. The arrival of Jaiswal, Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube, all of whom were part of the main team during the title-winning run last month, gives the Indian team a formidable look in the most important game of the series as visitors look to press home the advantage after the booster shot of a series-levelling 100-run victory in the second match.

Abhishek, the left-handed opener, did enough to live up to his pre-series hype with a 46-ball century in only his second game and did look the part opening the innings.

However, Jaiswal, with a handsome strike rate of 161 plus in 17 T20I matches, including a hundred and four half-centuries, does have the first claim to be skipper Shubman Gill’s opening partner by virtue of being the reserve opener of the first-choice T20 team.

Although rare but it is not uncommon for batters to be dropped in the very next match after a milestone innings.

Case in point were Manoj Tiwary, immediately after his maiden ODI hundred against the West Indies in 2011, and Karun Nair after his triple hundred in a Test match against England in 2016.

But skipper Gill is unlikely to let that happen with his best friend since their U-14 days and someone who scored his first international ton with a willow borrowed from the former.

So, it could well be a case of one of the two southpaws batting at one drop. Sanju Samson, who normally bats at No. 3 for Rajasthan Royals, might come in at No.5, while Ruturaj Gaikwad, who batted at No.3, will probably drop down a place to No.4.

As far as the changes in the playing eleven are concerned, Jaiswal is likely to replace B Sai Sudharsan, who was selected only for the first two games.

Samson will come in place of Dhruv Jurel, who had a good outing behind the stumps.

Dube, the only player who was a part of T20 World Cup playing XI, is likely to walk in to replace Riyan Parag. The imposing batter could be an even bigger nemesis for the Zimbabwean spinners during the back-10.

As far as Zimbabwe is concerned, their batting has left a lot to be desired with scores of 115 while batting first and 134 in the second essay chasing 235.

On the Harare Sports Club track where there is a bit of extra bounce available for the spinners, Ravi Bishnoi (6/24 from 8 overs) and Washington Sundar (3/39 in 8 overs) have proved to be unplayable at times.

Bishnoi, who normally bowls 20 to 22 googlies in his 24 balls per match, has varied his pace brilliantly and with home skipper Sikandar Raza being kept quiet, the other batters haven’t looked good enough to counter the Indian bowling attack.

The 13-run shock defeat in the opener was a timely wake-up call for the young visiting side and it did well to play without five specialist bowlers in the second game where batting first became an advantage.

For skipper Gill, a good score would be a necessity after two dry games and he is just too good a player to fail thrice. That could prove to be an ominous sign for the home team bowlers, who don’t have even one guy with express pace.

In a nutshell, it could be another one-sided game.

India: Shubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhishek Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Khaleel Ahmed, Tushar Deshpande.

Zimbabwe: Sikandar Raza (captain), Faraz Akram, Brian Bennett, Johnathan Campbell, Tendai Chatara, Luke Jongwe, Innocent Kaia, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Brandon Mavuta, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Antum Naqvi, Richard Ngarava, Milton Shumba.

Indian cricket team during second T20I vs Zimbabwe in Harare.© AFP

India opener Abhishek Sharma has revealed that his mentor Yuvraj Singh was delighted when he got out for a duck on his T20I debut against Zimbabwe here as the swashbuckling former all-rounder, for reasons best known to him, felt it was a “good start”. Making his India debut, Abhishek was out on duck as the Men in Blue lost the first T20I against hosts Zimbabwe by 13 runs on Saturday. But the 23-year-old came back strongly to set the stage ablaze with a blistering maiden century (a 47-ball 100) to fashion India’s 100-run win in the second game a day later.

“I spoke to him yesterday (Saturday) also, and I don’t know why he was very happy when I got out on zero. He said that’s a good start but he must be very happy and proud just like my family,” Abhishek said in a video posted by BCCI.

He credited the hero of India’s 2011 World Cup triumph for not only helping him hone is skills on the cricket field but also supporting him in his life away from the field.

“It’s all because of him as well, the hard work he has put in (shaping) me. (For) two-three years, he has worked really hard not only on my cricket but off the field (life) as well.” After Sunday’s game, Abhishek called Yuvraj, who couldn’t be happier for the youngster.

“Well done very proud, you deserve it. Many more (such innings) to come this is just the start,” Yuvraj said.

Since there was no rest day in between the first two games, the visitors didn’t get a lot of time to think about the opening loss and that worked in India’s favour as they levelled the five-match series 1-1.

“We lost yesterday but I felt, today is my day and I should take the match to the end, the positive was that we didn’t have much time to think about the next game,” he pointed out.

Abhishek combined with Ruturaj Gaikwad (77 not out off 47 ball) for a match-winning 137-run stand for the second wicket.

“I was in a flow, and just wanted to express myself. I spoke to Rutu as well, he said the same thing that ‘don’t think much about the balls and hit what you think you can’,” he said.

He once again thanked India skipper on the tour and his Punjab teammate Shubman Gill for lending him his bat.

“Special thanks to Shubman who timely gave me his bat, this was a much-needed innings for me and the team.

“This has been going on from U-14 times. Whenever I play with his bat I have done well, today also, the same happened.

“I played with his bat only, which I got after a lot of difficulty, he doesn’t give it easily. That is like my last option when I feel I have to play with his bat for a comeback,” he quipped. 

Indian cricket team during second T20I vs Zimbabwe in Harare.© X/@BCCI

Abhishek Sharma celebrates his century during the second T20I match against Zimbabwe, at Harare Sports Club in Harare on July 7, 2024.
| Photo Credit: ANI

India opener Abhishek Sharma has revealed that his mentor Yuvraj Singh was delighted when he got out for a duck on his T20I debut against Zimbabwe here as the swashbuckling former all-rounder, for reasons best known to him, felt it was a “good start”.

Making his India debut, Abhishek was out on duck as the Men in Blue lost the first T20I against hosts Zimbabwe by 13 runs on July 6. But the 23-year-old came back strongly to set the stage ablaze with a blistering maiden century (a 47-ball 100) to fashion India’s 100-run win in the second game a day later.

“I spoke to him yesterday (Saturday) also, and I don’t know why he was very happy when I got out on zero. He said that’s a good start but he must be very happy and proud just like my family,” Abhishek said in a video posted by BCCI.

He credited the hero of India’s 2011 World Cup triumph for not only helping him hone is skills on the cricket field but also supporting him in his life away from the field.

“It’s all because of him as well, the hard work he has put in (shaping) me. (For) two-three years, he has worked really hard not only on my cricket but off the field (life) as well.” After Sunday’s game, Abhishek called Yuvraj, who couldn’t be happier for the youngster.

“Well done very proud, you deserve it. Many more (such innings) to come this is just the start,” Yuvraj said.

Since there was no rest day in between the first two games, the visitors didn’t get a lot of time to think about the opening loss and that worked in India’s favour as they levelled the five-match series 1-1.

“We lost yesterday but I felt, today is my day and I should take the match to the end, the positive was that we didn’t have much time to think about the next game,” he pointed out.

Abhishek combined with Ruturaj Gaikwad (77 not out off 47 ball) for a match-winning 137-run stand for the second wicket.

“I was in a flow, and just wanted to express myself. I spoke to Rutu as well, he said the same thing that ‘don’t think much about the balls and hit what you think you can’,” he said.

He once again thanked India skipper on the tour and his Punjab teammate Shubman Gill for lending him his bat.

“Special thanks to Shubman who timely gave me his bat, this was a much-needed innings for me and the team.

“This has been going on from U-14 times. Whenever I play with his bat I have done well, today also, the same happened.

“I played with his bat only, which I got after a lot of difficulty, he doesn’t give it easily. That is like my last option when I feel I have to play with his bat for a comeback,” he quipped.