"That's where Abhishek needed to take a bit more responsibility" - Irfan Pathan's stunning remark after India's loss in AUS vs IND 2025 2nd T20I

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has criticised Abhishek Sharma for the way he handled the situation after the powerplay in the second T20I of the five-match series against Australia. The game took place on Friday, October 31, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Put in to bat, Abhishek got off to a brilliant start for India, but wickets kept tumbling at the other end as the visitors slipped to 49/5 in 7.3 overs. Harshit Rana, coming in at No. 7, then added a crucial 56-run stand off 47 balls for the sixth wicket with Abhishek. Rana contributed 35 off 33 deliveries, while Abhishek stood out with a superb 68 off 37 balls, laced with eight fours and two sixes, before India were bowled out for 125 in 18.4 overs.

In a video on his YouTube channel, Pathan praised the left-hander for his attacking intent during the powerplay but questioned his game awareness thereafter, particularly in the partnership with Rana, where Abhishek faced only 14 of the 47 deliveries. Pathan said:

“The powerplay had gone perfectly for him; he was playing his shots freely even as wickets kept falling at the other end. But during that partnership, most of the strike went to Harshit Rana. Out of those 47 balls, Abhishek faced only 14. That’s a crucial phase, roughly half the innings, and that’s where Abhishek needed to take a bit more responsibility.” “No doubt, Abhishek Sharma is currently India’s No. 1 T20 batter, but in this situation, he needed a little more game awareness. Even if Harshit Rana was getting more strike, could Abhishek have rotated the strike better to face more deliveries himself? If I were part of that dressing room, I would’ve told Abhishek: Brother, you should’ve taken more responsibility there. 33 balls faced by Harshit Rana and only 14 by you, that’s a big gap. So this is one area where Abhishek Sharma needs to focus more going forward,” he added.

Meanwhile, chasing 126, Australia cruised to victory by four wickets with 40 balls to spare.

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“He could have been sent up the order in this match too” - Irfan Pathan questions management for sending Harshit Rana ahead of Shivam Dube

In the same video, Irfan Pathan also questioned the decision to send Harshit Rana ahead of Shivam Dube in the second T20I. Dube came in later at No. 8, where he failed to make an impact, scoring just four off two balls. Disagreeing with the team management’s approach and highlighting Dube’s impressive past performances, Pathan said:

“Another thing is the combination. When Harshit Rana was sent to bat higher up the order as part of the right-hand and left-hand batting pattern, I don’t quite agree with that approach. Between Harshit Rana and Shivam Dube, it’s obvious that Shivam Dube is a much more proven player. He played a brilliant innings in the final under tough conditions and also performed well on a tricky pitch during the Asia Cup. He could have done the same here. He could have been sent up the order in this match too. Even if he had gotten out, sending one of your main batters higher up would have been the better choice.” “Instead, Shivam Dube came in later and got out. But he should have been given a greater opportunity. Anyway, since the Indian team likes to play with eight batting options, perhaps that’s why they decided to send Harshit Rana ahead, keeping Shivam Dube for the last five or six overs. But that plan didn’t work out,” he added.

The Men in Blue will be back in action for the third T20I on Sunday, November 2, at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart.

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Edited by Dev Sharma