Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill will be more useful

Ravichandran Ashwin has pointed out a chink in Abhishek Sharma’s armor following his early dismissal in SunRisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) 82-run defeat to Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, May 12. He kicked off his knock with six off Kagiso Rabada’s bowling, but was dismissed for six runs from four balls in the same over.

The former cricketer urged Abhishek to respect the conditions instead of looking to counterattack right from the outset. He suggested that batters like Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan will be more effective on pitches that offer some assistance to the bowlers.

Ashwin remarked in his latest YouTube video:

“Abhishek Sharma needs to work on this. T20 cricket has changed. Abhishek Sharma is picked in the Indian team because he plays a fearless brand of cricket. But if T20 cricket is given these kinds of pitches tomorrow, Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill will be more useful. I want T20 cricket to be played on such pitches. But not just these pitches, because the spinners were not in the game here. I want spinners to be in the game as well.”

The 39-year-old gave a car analogy to explain his point. He noted that a car cannot be driven at the same speeds on a highway and in a traffic jam.

“Abhishek Sharma hit a six off Kagiso Rabada with extension. This means that this guy has a lot of time and is very talented. His bat swing is very good. What did he do next? He exposed all three stumps. The ball came in, hit his chest, and he was bowled. Can’t Abhishek Sharma play that shot? He can. You can drive above 100 kmph on a highway and even up to 200 kmph, but who will die if you drive at the same speed in a traffic jam? Cricket is a game where conditions are the king,” he added.

SRH were bundled out for their lowest-ever IPL total of 86 while chasing a 169-run target. Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar slammed impressive half-centuries earlier in the game, helping GT post a competitive 168/5 in 20 overs.

“Go to the other end, build a partnership” – R Ashwin wants Abhishek Sharma to learn from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma

R Ashwin also pointed out that proven campaigners like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma read the conditions well and bat accordingly. He suggested that Abhishek can learn that from the senior players.

The legendary spinner elaborated in the same video:

“I am the No. 1 fan of Abhishek Sharma, and I want to see him read these conditions and take a single. Go to the other end, build a partnership. King Kohli and Rohit Sharma are celebrated because they read the conditions well.”

Abhishek has amassed 481 runs across 12 innings at a strike rate of 209.13 in IPL 2026, currently placed third in the Orange Cap race.