Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has named Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma as the opening pair for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. Chopra has backed Kishan to open ahead of Sanju Samson, who he feels has wasted his opportunities.
Samson managed only 46 runs in five matches of the series at an average of 9.20 against the Kiwis, which is concerning ahead of the T20 World Cup. The Kerala batter didn’t look at his best technically in the T20I series against the Blackcaps as he was playing with a predetermined mindset.
On the other hand, Kishan scored 215 runs in four matches at an average of 53.75 and a blistering strike rate of 231.18. The southpaw scored a blistering knock of 103 runs off just 43 balls against the Kiwis on Saturday.
“I think Ishan Kishan with Abhishek Sharma. That story is now set in stone. I don’t think there is any scope for a change there, and it shouldn’t be there either, because Ishan Kishan has played very well. You feel sad for Sanju for sure, but the truth is that he has wasted his opportunities,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
The renowned commentator said India needs to play in-form Ishan Kishan ahead of Sanju Samson.
“Two things can happen. Either you wait for Sanju’s good day, or you say play the one whose days are going good. I will go with playing the one whose days are going good because Sanju and Ishan are not important for me. India is important for me, and for India, it’s important that in-form players play. So Ishan Kishan with Abhishek Sharma,” he observed.
Reflecting on Sanju Samson’s batting woes, Chopra said the batter is struggling with his technique as he is going too far back in his crease.
“It’s a function of two things. One is how your mental frame is. When you go too far back, my coach used to say that if you make a mistake, you shouldn’t make a second one, which means if you picked the length wrongly, then don’t play a shot, defend the ball,” Chopra said.
The former Delhi cricketer said a batter can not afford to make two mistakes on a single ball.
“If you make two mistakes, you go back and play a shot as well, the chances of getting out increase a lot. Earlier, probably when he used to go back, he would have been playing the full ball with soft hands. However, here, he is going back and playing shots as well. It’s a difference of mindset,” Chopra elaborated.
India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against the USA on February 7.
