Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 3 (ANI): Former Indian head coach and all-rounder Ravi Shastri expressed that the team management should take a call on star opener Abhishek Sharma's place in the team for the all-important T20 World Cup semifinal against England based on where he is mentally, following a rough run so far in the tournament.

Big tournaments are not always a bed of roses, irrespective of runs, rankings and superstar status all the time, and Abhishek's run in this tournament has proven it. Starting the tournament with three successive ducks and sitting out against Namibia due to food poisoning, Abhishek's first runs came during the Super Eight clash against South Africa, a sluggish 12-ball 15. While a half-century against Zimbabwe in a must-win clash brought some cheers, Abhishek was once again down for an 11-ball 10 against West Indies during the virtual quarterfinal, where a semifinal spot was at stake.

Speaking during the latest episode of The ICC Review, Shastri said that any decision regarding his place in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2026 against England must first be based on the left-hand batter's mental space.

'Unless the team management realises that, mentally he's not there. If mentally, his mindset has taken a beating, it is for them to judge from the outside, in conversations with him, just seeing the way he is batting in the nets,' said Shastri as quoted by ICC.

The former Indian head coach also said that the only scenario in which he would consider a tweak to the batting order is where Ishan Kishan, who has had a strong tournament himself with 224 runs from seven games, would move up the order to the opening spot. In order to have Sanju Samson back in the squad to break a leftie-dominated top-order, Kishan has slid down to number three.

Shastri also pointed out that the last time Abhishek played England at Wankhede last year, he smashed a 54-ball 135, the highest T20I score by an Indian.

'If that is the case, then and only then will I think of putting Ishan Kishan up the order and then probably Rinku Singh bringing him, at the bottom,' he added.

'That could be the only change, but I would still persist with him because last time India played England, he had a terrific series against them,' Shastri said.

'I would not take that away at the Wankhede,' Shastri said. 'He has done well in the past. He's got some big hundreds there and very quick hundreds. I will persist with him because there is enough firepower in that batting,' he concluded. (ANI)