Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has opined that Abhishek Sharma needs World Cup runs before the highly anticipated match against Pakistan. Sharma was dismissed for a golden duck in the opening game of the T20 World Cup against the USA.
The left-hander then suffered from stomach illness and was even admitted to the hospital. Sharma received discharge on Wednesday but Chopra said India won’t play him against Namibia if he is not 100% fit.
Sharma recently scored 182 runs in five matches against New Zealand at a blistering strike rate of almost 250 and thus he has been in fantastic form.
Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel, “The first question is whether Abhishek Sharma is available. There is no clarity. He had gone to the hospital for examination. He has returned, he is with the team, but, to be fair, it’s been many days. He hasn’t practiced at all. He is slightly troubled about his health,” Chopra said.
“Will India take a chance? No, if he is not 100% fit, I don’t see him playing in this game, although I wish that he plays because it’s his first World Cup. He got out to his first ball in the first match. You want him to score World Cup runs before playing Pakistan. Form is not an issue, but the World Cup runs haven’t been scored. You want that box to be ticked,” he added.
The renowned commentator added it would be a great opportunity for Sanju Samson to grab his chance with both hands.
“If he (Abhishek) doesn’t play, it’s a great opportunity for Sanju Samson. It’s a good opportunity in both ways. One is that you are playing against Namibia, you can score runs. Secondly, he is the only batter sitting outside. He needs to regain his form. It cannot happen that a player sitting outside does not have form at all,” he said.
The former Delhi cricketer expects runs from Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh.
“If Abhishek doesn’t play and Sanju plays, I really hope Sanju scores the runs. I will have the same expectation from Ishan Kishan. Tilak Varma also didn’t score runs in the first match. It’s the first World Cup for him as well. He also needs to score runs. So he and Rinku Singh should score runs. We should bat in a way that it becomes memorable,” Chopra observed.
India will next take on Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, on Thursday.
