When India take on West Indies in the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 game in Kolkata, hopes will be high that two star left-handers, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan, will give the host nation the right start in what will be a virtual quarterfinal clash on Sunday.
Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin pointed out how Abhishek’s struggle against off-spinners and his lack of shots on the leg side might trouble him against West Indies off-spinner Roston Chase.
“Abhishek is going at a strike rate of only 85 against off-spin because off-spinners have tended to cramp him on the pads. He has no shots on the leg side against off-spin,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel.
“He has also not hit them down the ground because every time he has stepped out, the bowlers have gone full on his pads. Off-spinners are daring him to hit on the leg side, and he doesn’t have shots there,” he added.
Abhishek started with three back-to-back ducks before returning with 15 against South Africa. He finally managed to score his maiden T20 World Cup fifty against Zimbabwe, whereas Kishan is India’s highest run-scorer at this World Cup. He slammed two fifties before being demoted to No. 3, allowing Sanju Samson to open alongside Abhishek to bring a right-hander into the mix at the top.
“ and Ishan Kishan are left-handers but of different kinds. (Roston) Chase has to approach it differently, bowling to both,” said Ashwin. “Abhishek’s favorite shot is inside out over covers. He doesn’t have a sweep shot to access the square leg boundary, and also lacks scoring options in the long on and deep midwicket region. If you bowl on the legs to Ishan Kishan, he also doesn’t have shots to access the square leg region. But what he does is step down and smash the ball straight.”
Speaking on the plans against Abhishek and Kishan, Ashwin said, “Abhishek Sharma will smash the off-spinner if he bowls outside off stump. But for Kishan, if the off-spinner bowls it outside off stump, he tries to smash it to the long on or midwicket region and skies it in the air. So you can’t just bowl off-spin with the same plan against both just because they are left-handers. Each has a different approach, and if the bowler doesn’t know it, they will complement one another. Ishan Kishan has to be challenged outside off stump and Abhishek Sharma down leg side.”
