'We believe in karma, we believe in Sharma' - Aakash Chopra draws parallels between Rohit, Abhishek

The ease with which India tracked down the 133-run target set by England in the first T20I of the five-match series was prominently due to Abhishek Sharma. His 34-ball 79-run knock entailed five fours and eight maximums. The hosts ultimately won the series opener with by seven wickets and 43 deliveries to spare.

Former cricketer-turned-commentator, Aakash Chopra, lauded Abhishek's fiery knock, He even likened the manner the southpaw played the same way Rohit would during his T20I playing days. 

"Abhishek Sharma - we believe in karma, we believe in Sharma. We used to say that for Rohit. It's too early to say the same thing for Abhishek but he has done the Abhishek (made an auspicious initiation)? I thought it was an important innings," shared Chopra in a recent video he posted on his YouTube channel.

Was under pressure because he hadn't scored too many runs: Chopra

The former Delhi opener further suggested that his innings at the Eden Gardens was a crucial one, considering the likes of contenders for opening spot breathing down his neck.

"Abhishek Sharma was under pressure because he had been playing, but hadn't scored too many runs. This team's template is to hit fours and sixes and maximize the powerplay, but if you get out three times, they drop you. They could have looked at Yashasvi. He could have played this series and nobody would have raised an eyebrow or batted an eyelid," added Chopra.

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Apart from Hardik Pandya, who had an underwhelming day with the ball, all of India's bowlers were right on target. Arshdeep Singh became India's leading wicket-taker in T20Is, courtesy his two-wicket haul. A double-wicket over by Varun Chakravarthy stalled England's flow, as the eventual Player of the Match ended with figures of 3/23 in his four overs. Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi were miserly as well, conceding only 22 runs each in their respective allotted quotas.