T20 World Cup 2026: 'I will bring him into the playing XI and make him open' - Kris Srikkanth wants this all-rounder to bat at the top vs Namibia

India's star opener Abhishek Sharma has been discharged from the hospital after recovering from a stomach bug. However, his participation in the game against Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Thursday, February 12, remains in doubt.

If the Punjab all-rounder goes on to miss the game, former India batter Kris Srikkanth suggested that a fit-again Washington Sundar could replace him in the playing XI versus Namibia and open the batting alongside Ishan Kishan.

While Sanju Samson is also in the squad, Srikkanth pointed out that the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter has not been in great form and shouldn't be included in the XI. India will face Pakistan on Sunday and Srikkanth opined that if Abhishek returns for that game, Sundar could move down the order, with Rinku Singh going out of the XI.

"If I was the captain, I would have had a different thought process. Sanju is totally out of form. I will bring Washington Sundar in and make him open. I want him to be fit and playing the match against Pakistan. If Abhishek comes back for the Pakistan game, I will push Sundar to eight and remove Rinku Singh. My thinking is out of the box here. Samson has been given a fair run and he has not done anything. It is just to give Sundar the feel of a match," he said on 'Cheeky Cheeka'.

Srikkanth said Abhishek playing against Namibia and getting himself among the runs is going to be crucial. However, he mentioned that if Samson does get an opportunity to play against the African side, he has to grab it with both hands.

"Abhishek Sharma playing against Namibia and getting back rhythm is very important. The momentum in cricket is very important. So him not playing will be a very big loss. Only good thing is Sanju may get an opportunity. We have to see if he can capitalise or not. He has to capitalise on this chance, there is no other choice," he said.

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Samson had a forgettable outing with the bat in the recently-concluded five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which preceded the World Cup. He scored just 46 runs in five innings and eventually lost his place in the playing XI to Ishan Kishan.