Former New Zealand cricketer Scott Styris has expressed his surprise at Abhishek Sharma's exclusion from the Indian squad for the Sri Lanka tour. Despite scoring a century in his second T20I for India against Zimbabwe, the young opener was overlooked for the island nation. Abhishek Sharma earned his maiden call-up to the Indian team after impressive performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. However, his debut match was a disappointing one, as he was dismissed for a duck. He bounced back strongly with a century in the following game but couldn't maintain the momentum in his subsequent innings. Styris believes that considering Abhishek Sharma's potential and recent performance, he should have been retained in the squad. The former all-rounder emphasised the importance of giving young players opportunities to grow, especially with the retirement of several Indian cricketing legends.
Scott Styris not happy with Abhishek Sharma's exclusion from India's squad for Sri Lanka series
Abhishek Sharma's omission from the Indian squad for the Sri Lanka series has raised eyebrows, especially given the absence of a designated backup opener. Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris has voiced his surprise at the decision, stating that he would have included Sharma in the team. Styris emphasised the need for nurturing young talent, particularly in light of the recent retirements of several Indian cricketing legends.
"I also would have kept Abhishek Sharma. He did start well in the series in Zimbabwe. I think you’ve got to give those young players time and India, with all the retirements of their legends, have got time now to bring that next wave through," Styris told News18 CricketNext.
Scott Styris weighed in on the selection of Riyan Parag over Abhishek Sharma for the Indian team. The former cricketer-turned-commentator explained that finding consistent middle-order batters is challenging. He highlighted Parag's strong performances in the IPL as a factor in his inclusion. Styris also commended the selectors for their decision to persist with players, rather than dropping them after just one series.
"I think middle-order batsmen are harder to find. Doesn’t matter whether you’ve got all the depth India has or whether you’re from New Zealand where we have very little depth. I think finding those consistent run scorers within the white ball in the middle order is hard. And that’s why Shivam Dube earned his right to be in this team," he added.
"That’s why we’ve seen Riyan Parag with his performances at the IPL. We all knew he had the talent, we were just looking for him to break out. Now that he has, I like it because there’s no point throwing players in for one series and then dropping them in another. So, I love the fact that they’ve picked him," Styris further stated.
Riyan Parag's selection for the Sri Lanka tour has raised eyebrows, despite his inclusion in both T20I and ODI squads. The right-handed batter impressed with his performances in domestic cricket and the IPL 2024, where he amassed 573 runs at an average of 52.09 and a strike rate of 149.22. However, his debut T20I series in Zimbabwe yielded only 24 runs in two innings, raising questions about his selection for the Sri Lanka tour.
India's T20I squad for Sri Lanka series:
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj.
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