New Delhi, February 18 – Former Indian spinner Piyush Chawla has defended young opener Abhishek Sharma, who has been struggling in the ongoing 2026 T20 World Cup, by describing him as a player who "takes a high-risk, high-reward approach."
Abhishek has played only two matches in the 2026 T20 World Cup and has yet to score a run, having been dismissed for a duck in both innings. Chawla believes that the opener's form should not be a concern for the team as they aim to defend their title in the ongoing tournament.
"There's really nothing to worry about," Chawla told Jio Hotstar. "We've seen what Abhishek is capable of over the last 18 months or so. He's the kind of batter who takes a high-risk, high-reward approach, and you have to be a little patient with players like him."
"As a bowler, the margin for error against him is very small. When the ball is right up there, in the two-meter slot, he has the lowest strike rate. I think that's because when the ball is new, bowlers try to get some swing out of it. Otherwise, in the remaining overs, he has a very high strike rate," he added.
India has already qualified for the Super 8s and will play 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 about finding the right combination for India at the moment. They went to Sri Lanka, where the pitch was spin-friendly and slow. 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. Unfortunately, Kuldeep misses out," he said.
"He's a quality bowler," he added.
"I don't see any other changes. All the players in the 15 are quality, waiting for their opportunity. Whenever they get their chance, if needed, they're ready to go. So, there's no need for experimentation," Chawla concluded.
The 37-year-old former spinner also spoke about the change in Suryakumar Yadav's approach, which helped the captain get back to his best after a lean patch.
"It was a conscious decision to take some time initially. Just before the New Zealand series, Surya hadn't been scoring 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.