"He wouldn't care, honestly" - Former opener’s blunt take on Vaibhav Suryavanshi factor in Abhishek Sharma's blazing ton

Former batter Aakash Chopra doesn't feel that opening with Vaibhav Suryavanshi had a role to play in Abhishek Sharma's destructive knock in the third T20I against New Zealand. According to Chopra, Abhishek bats in the same manner irrespective of who his opening partner is.

Abhishek opened the batting with Suryavanshi instead of Sanju Samson in the third T20I against New Zealand in Wellington on Tuesday, October 27. The duo added 133 in 43 balls as India chased down 199 in just 13.2 overs. Abhishek smashed 113 off 38 balls, while Suryavanshi struck 45 off 19.

During a discussion on Cricinfo, Chopra dismissed the theory that Abhishek batted in ultra-aggressive fashion due to Suryavanshi's presence at the other end. He commented:

"Well, he wouldn't care, honestly, because when you're talking about those numbers, he has obviously batted with different partners. As an opener, this is how it actually unfolds. So what's happening at the other end is least of his concern. And he just starts smashing. Whether it's Vaibhav Suryavanshi at the other end, it's Sanju Samson or Travis Head in the IPL, if it's his day, you give up. You surrender as a bowling unit."

Abhishek hit nine fours and 11 sixes in his knock in Wellington, while Suryavanshi struck four fours and as many sixes.

"It is still not Rajkot or Indore" - Chopra on Abhishek's Wellington special

During the same discussion, Chopra opined that Abhishek's knock should not be undervalued because it came in batting-friendly conditions. Admitting that conditions were good for batting overall, he pointed that the surface did have some help for the bowlers. Chopra elaborated:

"See, it is still not Rajkot or Indore. We're still playing at Wellington. This is where the ball moves around a little bit. We saw what Bhuvneshwar Kumar did with the new ball, along with Arshdeep Singh. The batting was a little difficult, unless the ball was pitched short.

"We don't want to belittle it by saying these were good conditions. Yes, not bowler-friendly, seamer-friendly conditions, but still, it's New Zealand. I think the skills on display are absolutely incredible. Because he's able to hit good balls for fours and sixes," he concluded.

Abhishek brought up his century off 35 balls - the joint third-fastest for a batter from full-member nations in T20I cricket.

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