Abhishek Sharma’s scintillating batting during the Super Four match in Dubai on Sunday destroyed whatever little chance Pakistan may have had after setting a 172-run target.

The left-handed opener began with a six off Shaheen Shah Afridi and never looked back. His intent and control left even Sunil Gavaskar awestruck.

“India won the Powerplay convincingly with the opening partnership between Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill. They just took the game away from Pakistan...” Gavaskar said on India Today.

“The way Abhishek anticipated that, having hit Shaheen Shah Afridi for a four off the front foot in their previous encounter, the first ball would be a short ball... Sometimes
you have to mentally out-think the bowler and he
anticipated it so well... It tells you that this young man has a good cricketing mind on his shoulder.”

Another former India opener Virender Sehwag shared an advice originally given to him by Gavaskar, who wanted him to avoid the regret of falling short of centuries during his career.

“Many congratulations. I would say whenever you reach 70, don’t miss out on converting it into a hundred. These opportunities don’t come again and again. On the day that it’s your day, when you’re batting well, try to finish unbeaten. That’s always better. Keep that in mind,” Sehwag advised Abhishek, who was dismissed for 74 off 39 balls.

Abhishek didn’t forget to mention that his mentor, Yuvraj Singh, often encourages him to let other players enjoy their moments on the field. “...He always says, after hitting a six, give the other guy a chance to hit too. I’m working on that,” said Abhishek.

He began miserably on Sunday, having let off Sahibzada Farhan twice on the field. But he never let such lapses affect his batting.

“It’s just the way he is,” captain Suryakumar Yadav said at the post-match news conference.

“Abhishek is very selfless when it comes to his batting style. In the Powerplay, he goes hard, but even after that, he knows what’s required. He analyses situations, he’s learning every game.

“Most importantly, he never misses practice. Even if he doesn’t want to bat, he’ll be at the ground, doing something. If you keep working that hard, god always has plans
for you.”

His understanding with Shubman Gill also helped the opening pair flourish. The two have played together since their junior-level days for
Punjab and the camaraderie
is showing.

“With Shubman, everyone knows what kind of player he is,” Surya said. “The only thing I’ll say is he knows how to score runs. He backed his shots, took fewer risks, trusted his strokes.”

The best friends are now proving to be a menace for their opponents.

“It’s really important to be very good friends off the field,” Surya said. “When you open together, that bond matters. Sometimes you don’t have to say anything in the middle. Just a look is enough... to take a cheeky single, to complement each other if one’s flying or if one’s struggling. That friendship comes into the picture when they bat together.

“It’s like a fire and ice combination. They complement each other really well. And that’s what I want to see. If someone is batting brilliantly, the other can take the backseat and rotate the strike.”