"He looked uncomfortable" - Tino Mawoyo lauds Abhishek Sharma's comeback in IND vs ZIM T20I series after a duck on debut
Tino Mawoyo has lauded Abhishek Sharma for bouncing back brilliantly after a duck on his international debut. He noted that the 23-year-old showed the courage to bat aggressively despite his failure in the first T20I between India and Zimbabwe.
The Men in Blue beat the Chevrons by 42 runs in the fifth and final T20I in Harare on Sunday, July 14, to win the series 4-1. Abhishek, who failed to open his account in the series opener, smoked a 47-ball 100 in the second game to showcase his credentials on the international stage.
Reviewing the series on Sony Sports, Mawoyo was asked for his thoughts on Abhishek Sharma's start to his international career.
"I think it was even more exciting because of the way the first innings went. He really looked all out of sorts. He looked uncomfortable. He looked out of place but the way he came out in the second T20I and played the game that he knows, it takes a lot of courage to be able to do that when you have failed," he responded.
The former Zimbabwe player expects the left-handed batter to have a long run with the Men in Blue.
"I thought that was outstanding for him. A whirlwind start to his T20I career and you can see that he is one guy we can look forward to seeing playing many, many innings in the blue of India," Mawoyo added.
Despite scoring a century in the second T20I, Abhishek was moved to No. 3 once Yashasvi Jaiswal joined the Indian squad for the third game. The spin-bowling all-rounder managed 24 runs in the two innings he played in the final three T20Is.
"These are the kind of players that are going to win you games single-handedly" - Abhinav Mukund on Abhishek Sharma
![Abhishek Sharma scored the joint third-fastest T20I century for India. [P/C: BCCI/X]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/07/d3952-17210170951460-1920.jpg?w=500)
In the same discussion, Abhinav Mukund was asked how he would like to see Abhishek Sharma's game grow from here.
"I don't want him to change anything. It's just exciting to see a young player come and smash sixes and fours and get to a 47-ball 100. These are the kind of players that are going to win you games single-handedly. They might end up frustrating you sometimes with a shot that may not be on in that particular situation," he replied.
The former India opener added that the youngster should be allowed to play freely and not be criticized much when he fails.
"However, this is the enthusiasm of youth and you need to just encourage that. When he fails, I just hope nobody is too harsh on him because he is going to give us glorious innings like what we saw here and there is enough proof that he is going to give a lot more to Indian cricket," Mukund added.
India are scheduled to play three T20Is against Sri Lanka later this month. It remains to be seen if Abhishek Sharma is picked for the tour, considering that the likes of Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Ruturaj Gaikwad are also competing for the openers' positions.