Abhishek Sharmaโs recent struggles with the bat have caught the attention of former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan. He urged the southpaw to work on his technique ahead of Indiaโs semi-final clash against England. After a promising half-century against Zimbabwe earlier in the tournament, Abhishek managed just 10 runs off 11 balls against West Indies at the Eden Gardens, leaving Pathan concerned.
โOne concern is Abhishek Sharma’s form again. After scoring that fifty, it felt like he would continue making runs, but when he went for that shot, his back knee was bent too much, and his body weight was falling backwards. Ideally, more weight should have been on the front foot, as that suits him better. He will need to pay attention to that,” Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
India, after winning the toss, chose to field. West Indies got off to a brisk start with Roston Chase making 40 off 25 balls and skipper Shai Hope adding 32 off 33, forging a 68-run opening partnership. The innings faltered afterward, with the visitors slipping to 119/4 in just over 14 overs, despite Shimron Hetmyerโs rapid 27 off 12 balls. Jason Holder (37* off 22) and Nicholas Pooran (34* off 19) rebuilt the innings with a 76-run partnership in 35 balls, helping West Indies reach 195/4 in the allotted 20 overs.
Jasprit Bumrah led Indiaโs bowling attack with figures of 2/36, while Varun Chakaravarthy and Hardik Pandya each conceded 40 runs in their four-over spells.
Suryakumar will need to score runs against bigger teams: Pathan
Chasing 196, India lost early wickets, falling to 41/2 in the powerplay. A 58-run partnership between Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav stabilised the innings. Timely contributions from Samson, who scored unbeaten 97, won India the must-win clash, while Tilak Varma made 27 runs off 15 balls, Hardik Pandya added 17 and Dube 8*.
In the meantime, Pathan also reflected on Yadavโs performance, noting the importance of turning promising starts into big scores. โSuryakumar will need to score runs against bigger teams, and that is something he must keep in mind,” he said.
Yadav currently tops Indiaโs run charts in the tournament with 231 runs from seven innings, though he has not produced a major knock since his unbeaten 84 against the USA.
With this win, India now set their sights on the semi-finals against England at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Thursday, hoping to carry momentum while addressing technical concerns highlighted by Pathan.
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