Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav has backed an out-of-form Abhishek Sharma ahead of the Super 8 match against South Africa, scheduled to be played on Sunday (February 21) in Ahmedabad. The young opening batter has been under the pump lately as he is yet to score a single run in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Three ducks in as many innings have raised concerns over his form, hinting at a possible shake-up at the top of the order. However, the Indian captain put an end to all speculations around Abhishek getting dropped and replaced by Sanju Samson.
Addressing the pre-match press conference on Saturday at Narendra Modi Stadium, Suryakumar quipped that he is worried about those who are concerned about Abhishek.
“Abhishek Sharma ki form ki jo chinta kar rahe hai, unki chinta mai kar raha hu. (I am worried about the people who are worrying about Abhishek Sharma)," said the Indian skipper.
“Why are they so worried about Abhishek’s form? But I think about those teams who are going to play against him. That he has not yet scored a run. You know the rest of the answers. When he scores a run, you have seen what happens."
“It happens, it’s a team sport, it keeps going on. Now the team has a requirement that the boy should play with his identity. So he is trying to play. If it happens, then it’s fine; if it doesn’t, then we are there to cover. Last year he covered for us, now we will cover for him," he added.
When asked about any plans to bring in Sanju Samson in place of Abhishek, the skipper didn’t give a clear-cut response. Instead, he said the team has been preparing well to tackle spin, which will eventually be on display going forward in the tournament.
“It’s going well in power play. We’re making 50 – 40 runs. That’s normal cricket," Surya said.
“Now we’ve played so well in bilateral. It happens – we have expectations, and we also have expectations from ourselves. Expectation to make 220, 240, 250. But wickets are a little different here."
“The four wickets we have played on so far were a little different and challenging. Off-spinners were not bowling earlier, but are now. So, we have started preparation for that, and hopefully we will tackle it as we start our Super 8 journey," he added.
