'Preparation is important': Abhishek Sharma explains how he stays ahead of opposition bowlers
toi
newspoint|12-10-2026
INDORE: Abhishek Sharma likes to do "uncomfortable" things during practice sessions. He believes that such preparation keeps him battle-ready and ensures he is not caught by "surprise" when facing world-class bowlers.
With Roston Chase having dismissed the left-hander twice earlier in the series, and Abhishek's weakness against off-spinners well documented, West Indies began with the 34-year-old offie in an attempt to counter him from the word go.
The 26-year-old knew what the visitors were trying to exploit, but this time he was ready. He bided his time, played out the first over he faced from Chase and, once settled, launched into him in the next. A 111.6 kmph faster one was smashed through the covers for four while a much slower delivery was deposited over wide long-off for six, and the dose was repeated as he struck another six over covers.
Abhishek never looked back thereafter as he raced to his 14th T20I fifty and finished with a 30-ball 69. During his innings at the Holkar Stadium on Sunday, he achieved another staggering feat, scoring 72 per cent of his runs through the off-side.
In the process, he became the fastest batter to score 2,000 T20I runs. He reached the landmark in just 1,024 balls, 140 fewer than the previous record holder, Suryakumar Yadav , who took 1,164 deliveries to get there.
Abhishek's career strike rate stands at 195.95, and he feels the preparation he puts in behind the scenes is crucial to sustaining that approach.
"I think preparation is important. If I want to just continue playing like this, and that's the plan for the team, then preparation really matters. I always believe in that. It always depends on the teams and the bowlers I'm going to face. So, whenever I have time, it's (preparation) very specific... how bowlers are going to plan against me, how I'm going to execute my plan and dominate," said Abhishek.
"As a batter, if you have to face world-class bowlers, you have to be ready for all the plans. I always want that preparation in practice which makes me a bit uncomfortable so that I wouldn't be surprised in the match. So I always allow myself to be in that position during training," he added.
West Indies allrounder Shamar Springer also lauded Abhishek's innings, which circumvented their plans and forced them to switch to a 'Plan B' that involved bowling a defensive line to him.
"He is a world-class player. But I guess our 'Plan B' was to just be as defensive as possible and try to make him get singles and twos. It was just a matter of trying to pull him back because there's not much control you can really have here. The wickets are so good and those players are world-class players and they're the best for a reason. So, it's not really much you can do besides be defensive," said Springer.
Earlier in the year, during the T20 World Cup , Abhishek struggled against off-spinners and almost every team targeted that weakness. During that period, he would often try to force his way out of trouble.
Eight months later, while Abhishek's ability to destroy attacks at the top remains intact, his willingness to wait just a little longer before launching into the opposition has made this version of him an even scarier proposition for opponents to dismantle.
With Roston Chase having dismissed the left-hander twice earlier in the series, and Abhishek's weakness against off-spinners well documented, West Indies began with the 34-year-old offie in an attempt to counter him from the word go.
The 26-year-old knew what the visitors were trying to exploit, but this time he was ready. He bided his time, played out the first over he faced from Chase and, once settled, launched into him in the next. A 111.6 kmph faster one was smashed through the covers for four while a much slower delivery was deposited over wide long-off for six, and the dose was repeated as he struck another six over covers.
Abhishek never looked back thereafter as he raced to his 14th T20I fifty and finished with a 30-ball 69. During his innings at the Holkar Stadium on Sunday, he achieved another staggering feat, scoring 72 per cent of his runs through the off-side.
In the process, he became the fastest batter to score 2,000 T20I runs. He reached the landmark in just 1,024 balls, 140 fewer than the previous record holder, Suryakumar Yadav , who took 1,164 deliveries to get there.
Abhishek's career strike rate stands at 195.95, and he feels the preparation he puts in behind the scenes is crucial to sustaining that approach.
"I think preparation is important. If I want to just continue playing like this, and that's the plan for the team, then preparation really matters. I always believe in that. It always depends on the teams and the bowlers I'm going to face. So, whenever I have time, it's (preparation) very specific... how bowlers are going to plan against me, how I'm going to execute my plan and dominate," said Abhishek.
"As a batter, if you have to face world-class bowlers, you have to be ready for all the plans. I always want that preparation in practice which makes me a bit uncomfortable so that I wouldn't be surprised in the match. So I always allow myself to be in that position during training," he added.
West Indies allrounder Shamar Springer also lauded Abhishek's innings, which circumvented their plans and forced them to switch to a 'Plan B' that involved bowling a defensive line to him.
"He is a world-class player. But I guess our 'Plan B' was to just be as defensive as possible and try to make him get singles and twos. It was just a matter of trying to pull him back because there's not much control you can really have here. The wickets are so good and those players are world-class players and they're the best for a reason. So, it's not really much you can do besides be defensive," said Springer.
Earlier in the year, during the T20 World Cup , Abhishek struggled against off-spinners and almost every team targeted that weakness. During that period, he would often try to force his way out of trouble.
Eight months later, while Abhishek's ability to destroy attacks at the top remains intact, his willingness to wait just a little longer before launching into the opposition has made this version of him an even scarier proposition for opponents to dismantle.
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