Abhishek Sharma is an X-factor player, have to give longer rope: Piyush Chawla

Abhishek Sharma might have been under a little bit of pressure heading into the five-match T20I series against England. He scored a scintillating century against Zimbabwe in his second T20I appearance last year. However, he couldn't do justice to his talent in the games that followed. According to many experts and fans, the T20Is against England was a crucial assignment for the Punjab batter, with the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill waiting in the wings.

However, the 24-year-old showed no signs of nervousness in the first T20I on Wednesday, January 22, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata as he smashed a match-winning 74 off 39 balls. Piyush Chawla praised the youngster after his whirlwind knock and said that he is the X-factor player in the Indian T20 setup. The former India leg-spinner urged the team management to give him a longer rope.

"Abhishek Sharma is a high-risk batter. When he scores runs in a game, that will be a match-winning innings. Abhishek is an X-factor player; if he scores 60 runs, he will score it in 20-22 balls. You have to give a longer rope to these guys. Today, he started slow but scored his fifty in just 20 balls. This shows the mindset that he has and what range of shots he possesses. He uses the long levers and plays big shots," Piyush Chawla said while speaking on JioCinema.

England bowlers missed a trick by not using bouncers early on against Abhishek Sharma: Parthiv Patel

Meanwhile, Parthiv Patel felt that England bowlers could have troubled Abhishek had they used the short ball early in his innings. The former wicketkeeper lauded the Indian opener for sticking to his natural game even under pressure. 

"There was definitely a question mark on his place, given he did not have much form. But I thought today he was methodical about his approach. I thought the England bowlers missed a trick by not using bouncers early on against Abhishek Sharma. But that's how he plays," Parthiv Patel said on JioCinema during a different feed.

"What I really like about Sharma is, though he did not have a string of scores, he stuck to his game plan. This is something that has worked for him in the IPL and when he played for India. He got a hundred against Zimbabwe. He has not changed his approach. As a batter, when you don't get runs, you might go back into your shell and try to get a 30-40 and then change your batting approach. But I thought Abhishek Sharma did not do that, so that's a good sign as far as his mindset is concerned," he concluded.

Also Read: 'Well played sir, top knock' - Yuvraj Singh praises Abhishek Sharma after smashing 20-ball fifty against England in Kolkata

India won the first T20I comprehensively by seven wickets as they chased down a 133-run target in just 12.5 overs. The second T20I is scheduled to be held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday, January 25.