New Delhi, July 2 (IANS) Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel backed India’s batting display after the rain-hit opening T20I against England in Durham ended without a result on Wednesday.

India, who opted to bat first after winning the toss, posted 190 before persistent rain prevented the second innings from getting underway. Assessing the visitors’ performance after play was called off, Patel said the innings showed India’s willingness to adapt to English conditions and highlighted Abhishek Sharma’s impact at the top of the order.

According to Patel, India embraced the challenge of batting in unfamiliar conditions instead of taking a cautious approach. “From India’s point of view, they needed this kind of batting performance, especially after what had happened in Ireland. They wanted to challenge themselves; they wanted to adapt to the conditions early, and India did that really well in this game,” Patel told JioStar.

“190 runs on this pitch, with three spinners bowling through the middle overs, I thought India had enough runs to defend. Nevertheless, they will definitely be more confident going into the second T20I,” he added.

The former India cricketer also reserved special praise for Abhishek Sharma, crediting the left-hander for quickly reading the nature of the surface and making the most of scoring opportunities.

“I thought he batted really well. He understood the conditions well. There was a slightly spongier bounce in Durham, but he made sure that whenever the opportunity presented itself, he capitalised on it,” he stated.

Patel pointed to Abhishek’s aggressive intent against both pace and spin as one of the defining features of the innings, as he said, “That over from Saqib Mahmood was an important one, where he stepped out and hit three boundaries, two over point and one over mid-off. Then, when the spinners came on, he chose the right areas to hit those sixes.”

Looking beyond the knock itself, Patel said performances in overseas conditions continue to reinforce Abhishek’s credentials as one of the leading batters in the shortest format.

“Scoring runs in the SENA countries, South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia, puts a stamp on your authority and your skill set. Usually, that’s how you get judged. He did well in South Africa, then in Australia, and now he has scored runs in English conditions as well. That is the reason why he has been either the No. 1 or No. 2 T20I batter for almost a year,” Patel mentioned.

The two sides will next face off in the second T20I on Saturday at Old Trafford in Manchester.

–IANS

vi/bc