Former India left-arm spinner SL Venkatapathy Raju felt “pity for some of the bowlers” while watching Abhishek Sharma’s brutal hitting at the Gymkhana Ground here on Sunday.
The Punjab left-hander produced one of the most savage knocks in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 (SMAT) history, smashing a 12-ball 50 (5×4, 5×6) before racing away to a 32-ball 100 (7×4, 11×6) in a massive 112-run win over Bengal. The aggressive Abhishek was eventually out for a 52-ball 148 (8×4, 16×6) as Punjab posted 310-5, the second-highest score in the history of the competition. Baroda hold the record for the highest score in SMAT — 349 against Sikkim.
A sizeable crowd that had turned up to watch the match, were thoroughly entertained as Abhishek toyed with a Bengal attack that had the likes of established pacers Mohammed Shami (1-61) and Akash Deep (2-55). It rained sixes and the boundaries as Abhishek played just one dot ball in
his 50.
Venkatapathy Raju
Raju, a former India selector, who was at the venue for a Delhi Capitals talent hunt, felt sorry for the bowlers. “Abhishek’s bat speed is stunning which is why he times the ball so beautifully. I pity some of the bowlers who feel they have done no wrong. It’s this ridiculous big-hitting that makes Abhishek such a superstar in T20 cricket. Today, the way he smashed experienced bowlers like Shami and Akash Deep was incredible,’’ added Raju, who played 28 Tests and 53 ODIs for India, picking 93 and 63 wickets respectively.
In reply, Abhimanyu Easwaran slammed a 66-ball 130 (13×4, 8×6), but Bengal fell way short, finishing at 198-9.
Raju further appreciated Abhishek’s raw power. “He works a lot on his batting. It’s not easy to hit the big shots so fearlessly and confidently. They are high and long. Sometimes, a casual flick is good enough for a six. His wrists are strong, and that helps him generate power. The ball literally flies off his bat. He is doing this regularly now. We saw that in Australia recently. I won’t be surprised if earns a spot in the ODI team soon,” added Raju.
Out of the16 sixes, Abhishek struck five against medium pacer Saksham Chaudhury and four against off spinner Writtick Chatterjee. Shami conceded 61 runs off his four overs, including three sixes from Abhishek.
Abhishek also had the distinction of becoming the fifth batter to score a 12-ball fifty in the shortest format, following the likes of Yuvraj Singh at the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 — when he struck England’s Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over.
Brief scores
Punjab 310-5 in 20 overs (A Sharma 148, P Singh 70; A Deep 2-55) beat Bengal 198-9 in 20 overs (A Easwaran 130*; H Brar 4-23) by 112 runs
