Former Indian cricketer turned commentator Irfan Pathan has commented on South Africa’s plan to
counter Abhishek Sharma in the ongoing T20I series as well. Pathan also stated that South Africa will bowl stump-to-stump to him as well.

Speaking in a recent video on his YouTube channel ‘Irfan Pathan,’ he said, “Abhishek Sharma is no doubt the No.1 T20I batter and plays fearlessly. He had made only nine runs in the powerplay of the previous game. In this match, Abhishek had made nine runs in the first over but got out for 17 again. It felt his other leg was towards the leg stump when he got out. So, he got into an awkward position.”

“Marco Jansen also gets that bounce and batters do find themselves in trouble. The plan is simple in front of Abhishek Sharma – to bowl far and a stump-to-stump line to avoid giving him room. I want to see how he counters this,” he added. “Will he take some time? I don’t think that’s his style of play. Will he prepare differently? I feel he should face that type of bowling in the nets. He will either get deliveries with plenty of variations or if the new ball is swinging, it will be on a stump-to-stump line. South Africa have shown they don’t want to give him room. He could be in trouble again due to the bounce and swing,” he added.

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While talking about India’s batting-order changes in the second T20I, Pathan said that they need stability and urged the management to keep Suryakumar Yadav at No. 3 as well.

“Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma are currently opening the innings. If Gill doesn’t score runs even moving forward, Sanju Samson could come into the mix. India need that stability – whether it’s Samson or Gill. Some stability is also required in that No.3 and No.4 because Suryakumar Yadav is short of runs,” Pathan said.

“If he is not scoring, Suryakumar should bat at No.3. It’s good for him and the team. If he is in form, it will do him a world of good, especially keeping in mind the World Cup. He should be frozen at No.3 and has made plenty of runs in that position. If the conditions are good for seam bowling and an in-form batter is required, it’s a different thing. But a fixed batting spot for him is a must. Dharamsala could be another high-scoring venue and he must face as much deliveries as possible. Top 4 position must be locked,” Irfan Pathan concluded.