South Africa T20I skipper Aiden Markram lauded former Sunrisers Hyderabad teammate Abhishek Sharma, singling him out as one of the big wickets ahead of the 1st T20I match against India in Cuttack. The Proteas are scheduled to take on India in 5 matches in the upcoming T20I series.
“I’ve played with Abhi before at Sunrisers, a great guy and bats really well, so no doubt it’s a big wicket for us. Whoever takes the new ball, that’s a challenge to hopefully get him early. He is a match-winner and it’s an important wicket for us,” Markram said on Monday ahead of the first match at the Barabati Sadium
He also said that modern T20 batting is being driven by youngsters who see attacking intent as both entertainment and opportunity.
“It’s probably just the fearlessness — being given complete licence to take the game on from ball one. Some players you almost just want them to spread their wings and take the game on. If they come off, the team is in a really strong position. The game is moving in that direction,” he said.
“The younger guys coming through naturally are playing that way because that’s entertainment but it’s also opportunities for them to get into leagues and play T20 cricket for their country. They end up doing some really cool things,” he added.
South Africa, runners-up at last year’s T20 World Cup, have since slipped in bilaterals, losing to West Indies, India, Australia and Pakistan. But Markram insisted the approach won’t change.
“No extra plans, I guess. It’s T20 cricket, it’s an entertaining format and that’s the brand we want to play. We want guys to free themselves up, enjoy the game, let their best skills be on show. Tomorrow is the start of a new series. We haven’t selected the final XI just yet, we need a few more discussions and then we’ll come to that.”
(With agency inputs)