Young opener Abhishek Sharma is doubtful for the second T20I between India and England which will be played at Chennai’s M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. His absence will be a huge blow to India as he played a key role in India’s victory in Kolkata.
Abhishek has been India’s preferred opening batter in the shortest format of the game since the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2024 last year. He has not been consistent with his performances but has shown plenty of promise so far with his dominating knocks.
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Abhishek Sharma doubtful for Chennai T20I
Abhishek Sharma twisted his right ankle during the warm-up on the match eve of the second T20I. The left-hander was in severe pain and India’s team physio immediately rushed out to accompany him.
After the injury scare, Abhishek was seen walking gingerly and even arrived at the nets at the stadium. However, he didn’t walk out to bat which raised concerns over his availability for the second T20I against England.
The swashbuckling left-hander was seen limping in the nets which is not great news for India. His absence will be a significant blow to India given the form he showed in the first T20I. However, his unavailability is not yet official.
Who can replace Abhishek Sharma?
If Abhishek Sharma misses out on this match, he is likely to be replaced by Dhruv Jurel in the Playing XI. India also has the option to move Tilak Varma for the opening slot in the batting order and pay Jurel in the middle order.
Tilak has been in great form in T20Is of late and smashed two successive hundreds on the tour of South Africa. The 22-year-old has an excellent T20I record with 635 runs in 21 matches at an average of 52.91 and a strike rate of 159.54 with two hundreds and two fifties.
Meanwhile, Dhruv Jurel is yet to prove his worth in T20Is as he has played just two T20Is so far and scored 6 runs. However, he is a capable finisher apart from being a safe wicketkeeper. He has shown his credentials while playing for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.
Abhishek Sharma’s T20I numbers
Abhishek Sharma smashed a breathtaking 79 off just 34 deliveries during the first T20I of the series played in Kolkata. The left-hander struck 5 fours and 8 sixes during his knock as he displayed his ultra-aggressive mode.
Abhishek made his way into the national team on the back of wonderful performances in the IPL where he impressed everyone with his belligerent strokeplay. Although he has been inconsistent with his performances in T20Is so far, he has shown plenty of promise.
Abhishek Sharma has played 13 T20Is so far and scored 335 runs at an average of 27.91 and a strike rate of 183.06 with 1 hundred and 2 fifties. The talented left-hander from Punjab has the unique ability to win the match for his team on his day.
In this case, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav might have to move up to the No. 3 slot. The lower order is likely to be the same as the previous match. It remains to be seen which combination India adopts if Abhishek is ruled out of this match.