Sunrisers Hyderabad are set to take on Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2024 Qualifier 1 at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium this Tuesday. Ahead of this high-stakes match, former India cricketer and cricket analyst Aakash Chopra has spotlighted Abhishek Sharma as a key positive in SRH’s batting lineup. Chopra also emphasized how Sharma will be getting his India call soon enough.
Sunrisers Hyderabad, led by Pat Cummins, finished the league phase in second place with 17 points from 14 games, narrowly edging out Rajasthan Royals on net run rate to secure their spot in Qualifier 1. SRH will now face Kolkata Knight Riders in Qualifier 1 for a spot at the IPL 2024 Final.
Abhishek Sharma to debut for India soon
In a video on his YouTube channel, Chopra praised Abhishek Sharma’s consistent performances and predicted a bright future for the young batter.
“Abhishek Sharma is the shining star. If we focus on the last match against Punjab as well, they lost a wicket off the first ball, Travis Head, but it doesn’t matter to Abhishek Sharma what has happened at the other end. He comes and plays in a fearless and carefree manner. Sharma ji’s son will be playing for India within 45 days,” Chopra elaborated.
Watch the full video here
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Sharma to play in India’s Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka tours
Chopra emphasized the importance of Sharma’s role in the upcoming match, noting his ability to handle spin.
“I feel Abhishek Sharma will open for India on the Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka tours. He plays extremely well and will have to play even better in this match because you will get Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy in the opposition. Spin might be introduced early because of Travis Head. So you will have to get an Indian batter to neutralize spin – that’s Abhishek Sharma,” Chopra reasoned.
Abhishek Sharma has been a standout performer for SRH this season, amassing 467 runs at a striking rate of 209.41 in 13 innings, making him the second-highest run-scorer for the team behind his opening partner, Travis Head, who has scored 533 runs.