New Delhi, Dec 15 (IANS) Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa reserved high praise for opener Abhishek Sharma, comparing the youngster to former Sri Lankan great Sanath Jayasuriya after his quick-fire knock set the tone for the team’s win against South Africa in the third T20I.

The Men in Blue beat the Proteas by seven wickets at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

The Indian bowling attack dominated the game as every bowler picked up at least one wicket, restricting the visitors to just 117 in 20 overs. Abhishek and the top-order batters made the 118-run chase look easy as India clinched a comfortable victory.

Speaking on JioStar, Robin Uthappa analysed Abhishek Sharma’s confidence at the top of the order, saying, “Even before the series, he was playing the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and was just gunning teams down. So you knew he was in good form.”

“It’s about spending some time out there, and I think that first ball from Lungi Ngidi really set things up for him. From there, there was no looking back. He understood that they were trying to stifle him with tight lengths on middle and leg stump, but if they erred even slightly, he was there to punish them,” he added.

Uthappa also commended Abhishek’s ability to hit sixes, describing him as a ‘powerful and dynamic’ batter. He likened the opener to the Sri Lankan legend Jayasuriya, noting that this kind of batting intimidates opposition bowlers and that only a player in exceptional form can deliver such a commanding innings.

“He’s already hit over 300 sixes in T20 cricket, which tells you what a powerful and dynamic batter he is. In fact, he reminds me of Sanath Jayasuriya—sheer dominance as an opening batter. It instils intimidation and fear in bowlers, something you only see when players are in scorching form.

“Despite being a youngster, he’s had a prolific year. Teams are planning for him, trying to bowl in areas where he doesn’t score, but he seems to have solutions. That proactive thinking is quite amazing,” he said.

Uthappa also praised skipper Suryakumar Yadav, stating that his rotation and substitution of bowlers were well-paced and displayed “astute captaincy”.

“It was smart captaincy from Suryakumar Yadav to extend the spells of both the fast bowlers. He trusted Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya to do the job later if needed. The way he rotated and changed the bowlers was very well paced; pretty astute captaincy, definitely,” Uthappa stated.

–IANS

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