New Delhi, Feb 18 (IANS) Former Indian spinner Piyush Chawla has defended young opener Abhishek Sharma, who is struggling in the current T20 World Cup 2026, by describing him as a player “who plays with a high-risk, high-reward” approach.
Abhishek has played only two matches in the T20 World Cup 2026 and is yet to score a run, as he got out on a duck in both innings. Chawla feels that the opener’s form should not be a worry for the team as they march towards defending their title during the ongoing tournament.
“There’s nothing to worry about, to be very honest, because in the last 18 months or so, we have seen what Abhishek is capable of. He’s the kind of batter who plays with a high-risk, high-reward approach, and you have to be a little patient with these kinds of players,” Chawla told Jio Hotstar.
“As a bowler, the margin of error against him is very, very small. When the ball is right up there, in the two-metre slot, he has the lowest strike rate, and I feel that’s because when the ball is new, bowlers try to get some swing out of it. Otherwise, in the remaining ones, he has a very high strike rate,” he added.
India has already qualified for the Super 8s and will be playing their last group stage match against the Netherlands on Wednesday. Chawla has suggested one change in India’s playing XI for the match.
“It’s horses for courses for India at the moment. They went to Sri Lanka, where it was a spinning wicket and a slow surface. So Arshdeep might come back in, and Kuldeep Yadav will have to make way. For this game, it’s likely to be just one change. Kuldeep, unfortunately, misses out. “He’s a quality bowler,” he said.
“I don’t see any other changes. They are all quality players in the 15, waiting for their opportunity. Whenever they get their chance, if needed, they’re ready to go. So there’s no need for experimentation,” Chawla added.
The 37-year-old former spinner also spoke about the change in Suryakumar Yadav’s approach, which helped the skipper get back to his best after a lean patch.
“It is a conscious choice to take some time initially. Just before the New Zealand series, Surya hadn’t scored runs, and people were talking about his form. But he bounced back in that series and made sure he took his time, because he’s the kind of batter who can recover his strike rate at any point. It just takes one or two overs. If he bats for 30 to 40 balls, he can still end up striking at 180,” he said.
–IANS
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