"I won’t look for too much consistency with someone like him" - Robin Uthappa likens Abhishek Sharma to Virender Sehwag amid string of low scores 

Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa feels that it is unfair to expect a high level of consistency from a high-risk, high-reward player like Abhishek Sharma. The emerging left-handed opening batter rose to prominence with his 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He executed his ultra-aggressive approach to perfection in the tournament.

The exploits that helped SRH reach the finals eventually led to a call-up for the national team ahead of the Zimbabwe tour. Fans got a glimpse of what they could expect from the promising player after he was dismissed for a duck on his debut. He then recorded a whirlwind century in his very next game. Since then, he has struggled for runs, failing to cross the 20-run mark across six consecutive innings.

Uthappa opined that the management should give Abhishek Sharma a free hand to get the best out of him.

"I won’t look for too much consistency with someone like him. I would like to leave him as free as possible, like a Virender Sehwag perhaps in the early 2000s, where people were like ‘just go and enjoy yourself’," he said.

"Because if it comes, it’s a match-winning hundred or 80, if he gets a quick start, he is still serving the purpose towards the team. So the role is defined. I wouldn’t worry too much about consistency when it comes to Abhishek," he added.

There is a frantic race among opening batters to nail down the spot for the T20I first-team. Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, and Ruturaj Gaikwad have all been among the runs whenever they have availed opportunities some time or the other.

The intense pressure for the limited spot even led former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra to term the ongoing South Africa series as a do-or-die affair for Abhishek Sharma.

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Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for just 7 runs in the 1st T20I against South Africa

The opening batter began the T20I series against the Proteas on a poor note after being dismissed for seven runs by Gerald Coetzee. He tried a wild slog straightaway off the right-arm pacer in the fourth over after a patchy start. The ball only got height and not distance as it hit the upper portion of the bat.

The Indian squad do not boast a bonafide reserve opener in the squad. Hence, Abhishek Sharma realistically has three more matches in his hand to make an impression and remain in the hunt.