Former Australian World Cup-winning captain Aaron Finch weighed in on Sanju Samson's opening prowess and asked Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir to keep Abhishek Sharma away from the India-Pakistan game.

Abhishek Sharma, the left-handed batter, is the maestro in the making in the shortest format of the game. He has been India's most consistent and most explosive player in the recent past, as he was exquisite for India in the Asia Cup and the remainder of the bilateral series they have played against world-class opponents.

However, just ahead of the Namibia game, Abhishek Sharma had to be admitted to the hospital with a stomach infection. He was released after a brief stay in the hospital, while the illness also led to noticeable weight loss, which has thrown his participation into major doubt.

Varun Chakravarthy hints at Abhishek Sharma's likely return against Pakistan

Abhishek Sharma, the dynamic Indian opening batsman, has emerged as a major concern for them. The attacking opener featured in the game against the USA, but, supposedly with ill health, he was dismissed on the very first ball.

After Abhishek missed the ICC T20 World Cup clash against Namibia due to viral fever and stomach infections, Indian spinner Varun Chakravarthy revealed that Abhishek might be backed to feature in the final XI for the crucial Pakistan clash.

Likely keeping his word, Abhishek Sharma has travelled to Colombo for the upcoming Sunday encounter between India and Pakistan. The match is scheduled to be played at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Australian World Cup winner backs Sanju Samson ahead of Pakistan clash

Former World Cup-winning Australian skipper Aaron Finch has backed the opener Sanju Samson and congratulated him on the attacking start against Namibia. He has suggested that at this time, India should try to keep a cautious approach to Abhishek's fitness.

“No, they’re stacked enough, no doubt about that. Sanju at the top — he got off to a flyer last night, along with Ishan. As big as the game is, I think India would have their eye on the Super 8s, the semi-final, and the final," said Finch.

The Australian former skipper also feels that India should be eyeing their long-term goals rather than rushing him to return amid the tournament.

So, to me, if Abhishek is still under the weather and you don’t want to take a risk, that’s totally fine, because you understand that you can’t win the tournament in this first phase, but you can certainly lose it," Finch was quoted as saying on India Today.

Finch suggests the benefits of managing Abhishek's recovery

India have just begun their campaign, and the result of the Pakistan game would not affect their entry into the Super-8s. He also felt that Abhishek would be crucial to India's campaign when they face tougher opposition in later stages of the tournament and that they can manage the Pakistan game without him.

"And he’s the most damaging player in world cricket, so you want him fit and firing. And if that means he has to take a couple of extra days of rest, then I think that’s something you would absolutely be prepared to do, regardless of how big the India versus Pakistan match is on paper. You want your best players fit and healthy when the business end of the tournament comes around," he added.

However, this should be kept in mind that the Australian skipper considers the India vs Pakistan game to be just a matter of 2 points; however, for the players from these two nations, it is a matter of national pride and a rivalry between millions of their fans.