India opener Abhishek Sharma had a poor T20I series against Zimbabwe, which ended on Sunday. He could not score big runs in any of the three matches and failed to give India a good start.
Zimbabwe fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani troubled Abhishek throughout the series. The tall pacer used the extra bounce well and got the better of the left-hander in all three innings, even on batting-friendly pitches.
Abhishek was also out of form in the T20I series against England and Ireland before the Zimbabwe tour. He looked short of confidence and could not play the attacking cricket that fans usually expect from him.
Former India selector Kris Srikkanth said other teams have now understood how to bowl to Abhishek. He also feels Sanju Samson could soon return to the Indian team.
‘Abhishek Sharma has been sorted out (by opponents) in international cricket, right from the World Cup. I think a tough call has to be taken against him now. I feel Sanju will get his chance again now. He will receive a call back 100%. The selectors will have to take a tough call.’
Hanuma Vihari has questioned the Indian team management over its selection decisions. He said it is surprising that Abhishek Sharma continues to get chances despite not scoring runs in recent matches.
The out-of-favour batter also spoke about Sanju Samson’s absence from the team. Vihari pointed out that Samson was left out even after making a big contribution to India’s T20 World Cup title with three consecutive match-winning innings.
‘Before the World Cup, Sanju Samson did not perform in five games and lost his spot in the starting 11. He then made a comeback and became Player of the Tournament. In that same tournament, how many runs did Abhishek Sharma make?
‘In the UK series, apart from one fifty, there were no scores at all. Not even 20s and 30s, no significant score. One fifty in the last eight matches. If you include the World Cup, three half-centuries in the last 18 matches,’ Vihari added.