Going To Be Very Uncomfortable Discussion Between Ishan, Abhishek As To Who Takes Strike: Abhishek Nayar
Abhishek Nayar, Irfan Pathan and Yuzvendra Chahal analysed Indian batters' struggles against off-spinners, Abhishek Sharma’s place in the playing XI, and David Miller’s match-defining knock
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2026-02-23 06:33 GMT
South Africa secured a thumping 76-run win over India in the Super 8 clash of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, leaving the defending champions in a do-or-die situation. Speaking on JioHotstar’s 'Haier Match Centre Live', JioStar experts Abhishek Nayar, Irfan Pathan and Yuzvendra Chahal analysed Indian batters' struggles against off-spinners, Abhishek Sharma’s place in the playing XI, and David Miller’s match-defining knock.
Abhishek Nayar shared his thoughts on India's opening pair's woes:
“It’s going to be a very uncomfortable discussion between Ishan Kishan and Abhishek as to who takes the strike because suddenly he has passed the baton of the zeroes to Ishan Kishan, someone who was in prime form. But this is a problem for India. There is definitely going to be a discussion about how they can overcome an off-spinner bowling to them because, keep in mind, when they take on the West Indies as well, Roston Chase is going to bowl in the powerplay to them. So they will want to come back with better plans. With the newer ball, when you hit the seam at times as a finger spinner, you can get that extra bounce, and that’s the tricky part. If it’s slightly slower in the air, like we saw there, and the ball hits the seam and deviates even a bit, that’s enough in T20 cricket to get you out because it creates doubt and can earn you a wicket.”
Irfan Pathan touched upon Abhishek Sharma's struggles and South African bowlers' astute planning against him:
"It was a real struggle for Abhishek Sharma in this game. We’ve seen that he has gotten out to off-spinners twice in the last two matches. However, here the bowlers didn’t just stick to one pace or one line. If you look closely, no two consecutive deliveries were the same, and Abhishek Sharma didn’t seem to have an answer to that. Whenever a player adopts such an aggressive approach, teams always plan specifically against him. Nathan Ellis showed that when Abhishek toured Australia. He used all sorts of deliveries against him, back-of-the-hand slower ones, fuller balls, and mixed them well with bouncers. It almost felt like the South African bowlers took a leaf out of Ellis’ book and applied it on a grassy wicket in Ahmedabad, with pace, variations, disciplined lines, and constant changes to keep him unsettled.”
On Abhishek Sharma's place in the playing XI:
“There will be a lot of talk about changes. The question will be whether you replace Abhishek Sharma. Will you bring in Sanju Samson in his place? If I were part of that dressing room, I would still back Abhishek Sharma. The issue is that just two games are left, and you have to win both. If you drop a player now and bring in someone new, and that player doesn’t perform either, then you create a bigger problem. So you would want to persist with him. He’s the number one T20 batter, and he should be backed through the tournament.”
On Shivam Dube's form and consistency:
“That fight was very important. If not for that knock by Shivam Dube, the margin of defeat could have been even worse. It was 76 runs, and it could have been closer to 100. So that fight till the end, trying to get closer to the target and scoring runs when you are in form, was important, and Shivam Dube did that. And this is not new. He has been doing that since the last T20 World Cup. His knock in the final of the previous T20 World Cup does not get talked about enough, nor do his knocks in the Asia Cup final or recently against Pakistan in this tournament, but he has been performing consistently.”
Yuzvendra Chahal praised David Miller's big-hitting skills:
“I think Miller would have had that sense of disappointment that he was there almost till the end and could not finish the job for his side in the final. But I would like to point out one thing about Miller. When I used to bowl to him, whenever spinners came on, he would go for sweeps and reverse sweeps. However, since 2022, when Ahmedabad became his home ground in the IPL, he mostly stands still and hits through the line. His power is such that he waits, and his range, from midwicket to long-on, is incredible. He backs his strengths and does not try anything extraordinary. Sometimes he even hits sixes over cover off fast bowlers. Over the last three or four years, his game has evolved. Whether it is a fast bowler or a spinner, he can clear the ropes with that same swing.”