Mohammad Amir insults unwell Abhishek Sharma just days before India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup clash: ‘He is just a...’

Mohammad Amir has fired up Sunday’s India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup match by taking a sharp aim at Abhishek Sharma. Not convinced by Abhishek’s batting, the former Pakistan pacer called the India opener ‘just a slogger’ and feels all he does is swing the bat. Abhishek played India’s opening game of the tournament against the USA and registered a first-ball duck. Due to illness, Abhishek was left out of the game against Namibia in Delhi, as he was still not fully recovered. However, with two days to go, and the team travelling to Sri Lanka, chances of Abhishek participating in Sunday’s blockbuster appear touch-and-go

Spicing up the marquee clash, which has already become a hot topic because of the recently-concluded tussle between the Pakistan Cricket Board and the International Cricket Council, Amir had a go at Abhishek, raising questions over his technique, method and approach, even going so far as insulting his batting credentials altogether.

Amir has a go at Abhishek

“By whatever little I have seen, if you ask me honestly, I feel he is just a slogger. He has to go hard at every ball. The day he gets going, it’s fine; otherwise, uske failure ke chances zyaada hain (The chances of his failure are high). He scores once in 8 innings. Otherwise, his scores are 10, 15, 0 and 20. I don’t think he is technically sound. He just stands there and wants all balls to be bowled in a particular area. This is my honest opinion. I am also saying the day he gets going, he will score big. He can hurt the other team. But he has a high-risk game. I will consider him a proper batter only when I see that the ball is swinging even slightly and he tackles it well and smashes with the same velocity,” Amir said on the show ‘Haarna Mana Hai’.

Abhishek has featured in two T20Is against Pakistan during last year’s Asia Cup, scoring 31 in the league stage and 74 in the Super Fours as India comfortably won both the games. In the final, however, Abhishek was out cheaply for five; still, the result did not change. Adding to Amir’s claims, former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif agreed with the former pacer, but at the same time, gave Abhishek his flowers.

Rashid Latif on Amir's take on Abhishek

“We haven’t seen him play much First-Class cricket, nor in ODIs. Mostly it’s T20Is. His upper portion doesn’t come in front. All he does is give himself room. He’s calling him a slogger because he is ready for every ball to swing. If he tries to defend, that’s where he will find the problem. He is successful because that’s all he has worked in,” said Latif on the same show.

In a short period of time, Abhishek has established himself as one of India’s fastest-rising T20I stars and as the first-choice opener in the Playing XI. With 1297 runs in 39 matches, Abhishek has plundered two centuries and eight fifties, including a best of 135 against England at the Wankhede Stadium last year. Currently unwell, Abhishek has lost a couple of kilos but is on the way to recovery. India captain Suryakumar Yadav isn’t sure if Abhishek will be match-fit for Sunday, but if the video shared by Arshdeep Singh is anything to go by, the left-handed opener looks a lot better, and the fact that he is travelling with the team augurs well for his chances.

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