Abhishek Sharma has had a torrid T20 World Cup so far and the question comes up whether the team management would persist with him for the big semifinal clash against England on Thursday.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri thinks a call should be taken if Abhishek be part of the playing XI based on where he is mentally before the match. The world No. 1 opener started off with three successive ducks, then a 12-ball 15 against South Africa in the Super Eight. Against Zimbabwe he slammed a fifty but in the crucial match against West Indies he scored 10 off 11 balls.
“Unless the team management realises that, mentally he’s not there. If mentally, his mindset has taken a beating, it is for them to judge from the outside, in conversations with him, just seeing the way he is batting in the nets,” Shastri was quoted saying on the latest episode of The ICC Review.
If Abhishek sits out then Ishan Kishan who has had a great tournament so far with 224 runs from seven matches will open with Sanju Samson and Rinku Singh comes in as a replacem,ent for Abhishek in the middle order.
Shastri also pointed out that in Abhishek’s last game at the Wankhede Stadium, the star opener scored a 54-ball 135 against the same opposition, the highest T20I score by an Indian batter.
“If that is the case, then and only then will I think of putting Ishan Kishan up the order and then probably Rinku Singh bringing him, at the bottom,” Shastri said.
“That could be the only change, but I would still persist with him because last time India played England, he had a terrific series against them,” he added.
“I would not take that away at the Wankhede,” Shastri said. “He has done well in the past. He’s got some big hundreds there and very quick hundreds. I will persist with him because there is enough firepower in that batting,” he also said.
