T20 World Cup 2026: ‘He doesn’t have shots there’ – R Ashwin’s huge statement on star Indian batter ahead of clash vs West Indies

Ravichandran Ashwin opined that off-spinner Roston Chase will have to come up with different plans while bowling to Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma, as the two left-handers have different playing styles. His statement comes ahead of the crucial Super 8 clash between India and the West Indies at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Sunday, March 1. The winner of this clash will progress to the semi-final.

Talking about Abhishek, who started the campaign with three consecutive ducks but roared back into form in the last game against Zimbabwe with an enterprising half-century, Ashwin said that the opening batter doesn’t have shots on the leg-side against off-spinners and cramping him by bowling on the pads could be a fruitful strategy.

“Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan are left-handers but of different kinds. Chase has to approach it differently, bowling to both. Abhishek is going at a strike rate 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. 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,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

“His 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,” the former India off-spinner added.

 Abhishek Sharma will smash the off-spinner if he bowls outside off stump: Ashwin

Ashwin mentioned that Abhishek will punish the off-spinners if they bowl to him outside the off-stump. However, the 2011 ODI World Cup winner added that the same plan could work wonders against the in-form Ishan Kishan.

“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 because they are left-handers,” said Ashwin (via the aforementioned source).

“Each have different approaches 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 legside,” he concluded.