How to tackle India's Abhishek Sharma? Matt Henry reveals strategy
What's the story
New Zealand's star pacer Matt Henry has revealed his strategy to tackle India's explosive opener Abhishek Sharma. The bowler said that the key to dealing with the in-form batsman is to keep him under pressure with consistent accuracy. Henry had previously dismissed Abhishek for a golden duck in the fourth T20I at Visakhapatnam, which contributed significantly to New Zealand's 50-run victory. However, India won each of the first three games of this series.
Performance analysis
Henry praises Abhishek's recent form
Henry praised Abhishek for his stellar performance over the past two years, both in international cricket and IPL. "He's been playing brilliantly over the last two years, and he's been taking to attacks, not just in international cricket but in IPL as well," Henry told the media on the eve of the fifth and final T20I in Thiruvananthapuram. The pacer stressed that the key to countering such a player lies in maintaining pressure through accurate bowling.
Bowling strategy
Importance of accuracy in bowling
Henry stressed on the importance of accuracy in bowling, especially when dealing with aggressive batsmen like Abhishek. He said, "It's challenging from a bowling point of view but the key thing is how do you come back when you have a mixed over, how do you have an impact on the game and not worry about those things?"
DYK
Abhishek's run in the series
Though Abhishek has bagged two ducks across four games in the ongoing series, his other scores have been 68* and 84. In the third T20I, Abhishek created history by scoring the second-fastest half-century for India in T20Is, off 14 balls. Across 35 T20I matches, he owns 1,267 runs at 37.26. These runs, however, have come at a strike rate of 194.92. Notably, Abhishek is also the top-ranked T20I batter.
WC strategy
World Cup experience will benefit New Zealand, says Henry
Henry said that the experience of playing in India will benefit New Zealand in the upcoming T20 World Cup. He said, "It's never nice being put under that kind of pressure but we knew that the long-term picture was getting prepared for a World Cup and how do you put teams under pressure when they're flying like that." The pacer also spoke about his role in leading the team after Tim Southee and Trent Boult's retirement over the past two years.
Team outlook
On the challenges of playing all 3 formats
Henry said that T20 cricket is all about confidence and resilience under pressure. He also stressed on the importance of having a well-balanced squad with both young players gaining new experiences and experienced ones who have been there before. The pacer acknowledged the toll of playing all three formats on his body but remained optimistic about New Zealand's depth in their squad for these formats.