Mumbai, Jan 22 (PTI) Ravi Shastri believes India too will “take off” in next month’s T20 World Cup if their explosive opener Abhishek Sharma fires, while Kevin Pietersen hailed the lefthander as a “proper star”.
In another splendid exhibition of his ultra-explosive approach, the world No. 1 Abhishek hammered a 35-ball 84 with eight sixes and five fours in India’s 48-run win in the opening T20I against New Zealand in Nagpur on Wednesday.
“Abhishek, without a shadow of a doubt. (He’s the) No. 1 T20 batsman in the world (and is) in a rich vein of form,” Shastri said when asked who would be the most impactful player in the upcoming T20 global showpiece beginning on February 7.
“Last evening (on Wednesday), he took the game away from New Zealand. You’ve got to watch out for him because his confidence level is high.” “He’ll be backed by the home crowd and if he takes off, it means India take off,” he said at an event to mark the launch of partnership between Marriott Bonvoy and the ICC.
Shastri said it is crucial for coaches and players to accept criticism but it should in a positive vein.
“I prefer criticism that is constructive (and) when I became a broadcaster, I said I’ve divorced the dressing room and I will speak on what I see. It doesn’t matter if you were my colleague or you were my friend when I was playing the game,” he said.
“But that’s something you expect. In my tenure, there were good moments and there were rough moments. You just have to take it in your stride because you know there is another game coming up.” “One day you are in a pole position. The next day you are in a troll position. That can happen. But in a week, you can see all three. You can be in pole, troll, again pole,” he added.
Pietersen bats for Brevis ============= For Pietersen, it was South Africa’s Dewald Brevis’ name that came first on the most impactful player in the T20 World Cup.
“Dewald Brevis, for South Africa. He again played another incredible innings last night. A couple of days ago, I was calling the game in Johannesburg where his team, the Pretoria Capitals, led by (Sourav) Ganguly, was struggling,” he said.
“They were 7/5 (against Joburg Super Kings) and Brevis went (in) and batted for 15 overs and they got to a winning total of 140 or 150 (143/6).” Pietersen said Brevis showed he is more than a one-trick pony of only trying to hit sixes.
“(Now) that’s something Brevis has always come under criticism for, that he’s just a one-trick pony. He stands there, and he just tries to hit six after six after six. I said on commentary, that could be the making of Brevis, so from that point of view, he’s in that (list) just because I’m seeing him a lot at the moment,” Pietersen said.
However, the great England batter returned to Abhishek, terming him a “proper star”.
“Remember when Abhishek got that 150 (135 off 54 balls; 7 fours, 13 sixes) against England at the Wankhede (Stadium) last year… We interviewed him after the game.
“I just put my hand on his shoulder and I said, ‘young man, that is the best T20 innings I’ve ever seen in international cricket’. That kid is a proper star,” he said.
Pietersen was also aware of Abhishek’s fireworks in the opening T20I against the Kiwis.
“When you know he’s batting, you turn the TV on,” he added.
Pietersen, however, said it will be a “very big shout” to say England would win the T20 World Cup given how they are playing.
“The way England is playing, that’s a very big shout,” he said. PTI DDV TAP
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