Abhishek Sharma was India's standout batter in the T20I series opener against Afghanistan on Sunday, smashing 82 runs. India cruised past the hosts, once again showing the gap in quality between the two sides. But Krishnamachari Srikkanth, a 1983 World Cup winner with India, believes the team management made a mistake by picking Abhishek in the playing XI. In his view, the opening pair should have been Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth argued that Abhishek should have been left out based on form, given he hadn't scored in his previous six innings for India, regardless of his 82 in this match.

"Abhishek Sharma actually shouldn't have played this game on form. But he smashed Afghanistan yesterday and batted brilliantly. Though he didn't score in the previous six innings, everyone will remember only this 82 and forget the rest," he said.

Abhishek is expected to keep his spot for the second T20I as well, opening alongside Sanju Samson. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will, in all likelihood, warm the bench once again.

Srikkanth also praised Ishan Kishan, who recently led East Zone to the Duleep Trophy title with a 270-run knock in the final. While Kishan has become a key player for India in white-ball cricket, Srikkanth wants him considered for the Test squad too.

"He (Kishan) has been unbelievable, coming from domestic cricket. He is smashing a 270 in the Duleep Trophy final, which is brilliant. Now he is surely a strong contender for the Test team. He is scoring so much that he has to be in the reckoning for the Indian Test squad. He is scoring in every format and has to be in the mix of things in Test cricket," Srikkanth added.