India began their Asia Cup title defence in style, smashing the United Arab Emirates in Dubai to win by 9 wickets.. A spin-heavy attack led by Kuldeep Yadav restricted the hosts to just 57 runs. In response, the explosive opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill chased down the target in under 5 overs.
Kris Srikanth Criticizes India’s Batting Strategy, Questions Dropping Arshdeep Singh
Amid this dominant display, India’s batting line-up drew sharp criticism from former Indian selector Kris Srikanth, who questioned the strategy of playing eight batters, which led to the omission of Arshdeep Singh, India’s lead T20I pacer.
"I said Arshdeep should play in the first match itself. Does India need eight batters to play 20 overs? Especially against a team like Pakistan, do you need eight batters? We don't even know if more than four batters will get an opportunity," he said on his YouTube channel.
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Srikanth further highlighted the increasing spin-orientation in the game, with pacers not receiving the attention they deserve, pointing out Pakistan’s spin-heavy approach in dropping Haris Rauf.
“The problem is that everything has become spin-oriented, and there is little assistance for medium pacers. Pakistan themselves have gone spin-heavy, dropping Haris Rauf," said Srikanth.
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Abhishek Sharma’s Aggressive Start Praised Amid Caution from Kris Srikanth
Despite the criticism, the former Indian captain praised Abhishek Sharma’s aggressive style but advised him to be cautious in timing deliveries, especially those aimed at his body.
“Abhishek scored well against England too. But we have to wait and see. I won’t hype him up too much just yet. Like all attacking batters, he sometimes mistimes short deliveries to his body and gets caught. Even in the IPL, he got out two or three times at square leg to that kind of delivery. Pakistan will try bowling at his chest and body. But if he gets past the initial stage, Abhishek Sharma will smash the bowling," he added.
Abhishek Sharma had a solid start to his first multinational T20I tournament for India, scoring a quick 30 off 18 balls before getting out. His performance earned praise from his father, who believes Sharma can lead India to the coveted continental title.
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