Suresh Raina thinks Abhishek Sharma has what it takes to move into red-ball cricket and should be given the chance to develop as a Test player for India.
Speaking on Aakash Chopra’s YouTube channel, Raina said Abhishek should play Tests. He asked whether IPL owners and associations are putting Test cricket in young players’ minds, and said coaches have a part to play too.
Abhishek’s first-class numbers
Abhishek has played 24 first-class matches, making 1,071 runs in 37 innings at an average of 30.60 and a strike rate of 70.46, with one century and five fifties. The left-hander has also taken 20 first-class wickets at an average above 49, with best figures of 4/136.
The Vaibhav Sooryavanshi question
Raina also brought up Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, saying the teenager is very young and asking whether he wants to play Tests and what his coaches think. The 15-year-old has played 10 first-class matches, scoring 347 runs in 15 innings at 23.13, with two fifties and a best of 93.
In the Duleep Trophy semi-final, he made 92 and 40 for East Zone. At Under-19 level he has 331 runs in 10 innings across six matches, averaging 33.10 at a strike rate above 136, with two hundreds and one fifty.
Balancing formats
Raina’s comments point to a wider need for players, coaches, state associations and franchises to balance the lucrative shorter formats with the traditional red-ball pathway.
