"Yashasvi Jaiswal won't let him breathe": Abhishek Sharma issued ultimatum ahead of England T20Is

India's young opener Abhishek Sharma hasn't had a great start to his T20I career so far. While he has found a place in India's squad for the upcoming T20I series against England, his performance will be under the scanner.

The young left-hander will be under pressure going into the series as another swashbuckling opener Yashasvi Jaiswal is waiting down the wings. Former India opener Aakash Chopra believes that Jaiswal won't let Abhishek breathe and will take the chances with both hands.

Also read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: 'Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma are not going to play...' - Huge warning issued

Aakash Chopra feels Yashasvi Jaiswal is keeping Abhishek Sharma on his toes

While speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra was satisfied with the way Abhishek Sharma has been given opportunities but feels that Yashasvi Jaiswal won't let him breathe and will make the most of his opportunities if he gets one.

"Abhishek Sharma has been given a vote of confidence, which I liked, as he has been kept with the team. However, he was hanging by a thin thread. Let's be fair, Yashasvi Jaiswal won't let him breathe. He is breathing down his neck and it's absolutely right," Chopra said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator further claimed that Abhishek Sharma hasn't made the most of his opportunities so far other than one good knock each in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

"Only Ranji Trophy, that's not a great story. If you see from that angle, this is a massive opportunity for Abhishek. He hasn't made the most of his opportunities thus far. The century he scored in Zimbabwe was excellent. Then he played one good knock in South Africa," he explained.

Abhishek Sharma's numbers in T20Is

Abhishek Sharma has played 12 T20Is so far and scored 256 runs at an average of 23.27 and a strike rate of 171.81. The left-hander has struck a hundred and a fifty each in his T20I career so far.

The 24-year-old was dismissed for a duck in his debut game but came back strongly to smash a hundred in his second match. He scored 100 off just 47 balls with 7 fours and 8 sixes. His fifty came in the T20I series against South Africa at Centurion.

Aakash Chopra backs Yashasvi Jaiswal to replace Abhishek Sharma

Aakash Chopra also backed Yashasvi Jaiswal to open the batting in T20Is and called him a "three-format player". He argued why Jaiswal hasn't been given the opportunities in the white-ball formats despite having a perfect game for all forms of cricket.

"He (Yashasvi Jaiswal) is also a left-hander who plays similarly. He is a three-format player and is in form currently. After some time, you might start thinking as an Indian fan that he won't get a chance in ODIs as Shubman (Gill) and Rohit (Sharma) will open, and then what cricket would he have played when he goes for the Champions Trophy?" Chopra noted.

Yashasvi Jaiswal has played 19 Tests and 23 T20Is so far. He has a stellar record in Tests with 1798 runs at an average of 52.88. He also has a good T20I record with 723 runs at an average of 36.15 and a strike rate of 164.31.