I prepared myself well for Australian conditions: Abhishek

Brisbane, Nov 8 (PTI) Abhishek Sharma prepared himself "mentally and technically" for months to take on the Australian challenge, and the results showed as the young opener took the 'player of the series' award in India's hard-fought 2-1 triumph Down Under.

Having impressed with his aggressive batting at the top, the 24-year-old said he had for long looked forward to testing himself on the bouncy Australian pitches and against high-quality pace attack.

He ended with 163 runs in five outings even as two matches were rained out.

"I have been waiting for this tournament. When I got to know we're going to Australia for the T20Is, I was very excited," Abhishek said after India sealed the rain-affected series 2-1 on Saturday.

"Throughout my career, I’ve seen that Australia is very batting-friendly, and I wanted to prepare myself for these kinds of bowlers and conditions.” The left-hander said his preparation focused on facing world-class fast bowlers and adapting his game to Australian surfaces.

"If you want to play good cricket and do well for your team, you have to face world-class bowlers. I was practicing for these kinds of bowlers because that’s how you improve as a player," he said, when asked if Josh Hazlewood's absence in the last three T20Is made it a bit easy for the India players.

He was also asked about his ultra-aggressive approach and Abhishek credited the Indian team management for giving him the freedom to play his natural game.

"The captain and coach have given me the clarity and confidence to just go and express myself. As a batter, when you're scoring 20s and 30s, you know you can go longer, but the clarity to set the momentum for the team has really helped me," he said.

The Punjab youngster said the series had strengthened his resolve to push for a T20 World Cup berth next year.

"It will be a dream come true if I get to play the World Cup. As a kid, I always dreamt of winning it for India. I will make sure I’m ready for that tournament," he said.

Australia captain Mitchell Marsh, while acknowledging India’s superiority in crucial moments, praised his own side’s depth and adaptability.

"I can't remember the last time we played and had so many rain interruptions. All in all, it was a great series. India obviously won the games when it mattered — congratulations to them,” Marsh said.

The Australian skipper said the tour helped his team test its bench strength and combinations ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup.

"There's a lot of learnings to take forward. The adaptability and flexibility in our group and the squad we’re trying to build in a World Cup year has been amazing. Guys have come in, done really well, played their roles — that’s all we can ask for,” he added.

With the Ashes series and the T20 World Cup looming, Marsh said he was confident in Australia’s overall balance. When asked about who would captain in the World Cup — him or Pat Cummins — Marsh replied with a smile, "Good question... I think I’ll be there." India skipper Suryakumar Yadav was all praise for his players, especially the bowling resources.

"The way everyone chipped in and the way we came back from 0-1 down, credit to all the boys. It was a good series with bat, ball and in the field as well. Both fast bowlers and spinners know their job very well.

"Bumrah-Arshdeep is a lethal combination. And then Axar, Varun coming in doing what they do best. And Washi (Sundar) coming in handy in the last game. They've played a lot of T20 cricket now, they bring a lot to the table and are backing themselves." He also said the upcoming tough series will prepare India well for T20 World Cup at home next year.

"Good headache to have - lots of players have been doing really well. Playing three strong teams - Australia, SA and NZ - going to be a great buildup before the World Cup." SKY, as he is addressed, said playing at home in the World Cup will be a challenging, yet exciting.

"I saw recently what happened with the women's team winning the World Cup in India, unbelievable support (from the crowd). Going to be a good challenge, exciting tournament, but it's still far away. Two more series to go." PTI AT AM AT AM AM