Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan feels that Salil Arora, who hails from Punjab, has the same calibre as that of Abhishek Sharma. He noted that the player has already impressed with his domestic run and has submitted a strong candidature for a role like Abhishek Sharma’s in the future.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad have given the Indian team one of their modern-day superstars, and now the former World Cup winner from India observed that another SRH player has similar traits to the SRH batter.
The Sunrisers missed their chance to make it to the playoffs despite some solid comeback performances in the second half. This year, in skipper Pat Cummins’ absence, the Orange Army will be led by Indian wicket keeper Ishan Kishan, and Abhishek Sharma will function as his deputy.
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Irfan Pathan spots glimpses of Abhishek Sharma in this SRH youngster
Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan opined that Abhishek Sharma, who also hailed from Punjab, went on to be a fearless striker of the white ball. Now the new SRH recruit, Salil Arora, is one such talent.
“Salil Arora. He comes from the Punjab cricket system and has already delivered strong performances, which is why he has made a name for himself in domestic cricket.
“Players like Abhishek Sharma, Naman Dhir, and Ramandeep Singh have come from Punjab, and Salil Arora looks to be of a similar level,” Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
Pathan predicts what positive impact Salil Arora’s presence can bring to the SRH team
Salil Arora has shown his calibre with the bat in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26. The batter scored 358 runs, averaging almost 72 and striking at nearly 200. Pathan hence suggested him as a backup for the other middle-order players in SRH.
“He has been picked by SRH for around ₹1.5 crore as a backup player. So, if Nitish Kumar Reddy is not in form, or if Aniket Verma is not performing well, he can step in as a backup option,” said Pathan.
He continued and opined that Salil Arora, who was bought for a whopping 1.5 crores in his debut season, will be exerting pressure on players like Reddy and Aniket in the middle order. “The good thing is that both the main players will also feel the pressure to perform because they know a talented domestic player is waiting in the ranks,” Irfan Pathan added.
Irfan Pathan impressed by SRH’s 75 lakh Indian pacer
After having picked out the batters, Pathan moved to the Sunrisers’ bowling deck. He suggested that Shivam Mavi, the former KKR pacer, has improved massively and might be of great use to the Men in Orange.
“There is another important player, Shivam Mavi. He has also paid close attention to his bowling action. Earlier, his body used to fall or collapse sideways during delivery, but that issue has reduced now, largely due to improved fitness, which was a major concern before,” he observed.
Pathan continued, “Now, it seems like his bowling is getting better. His pace is also consistently above 140 km/h, which used to be the case earlier, then dipped, but now looks steady again. So, the question is, can he capitalise on his opportunity this season?”
In Pat Cummins’ absence, they would have to rely on many good Indian pacers and Mavi is an experienced bowler having played 32 IPL games and picked 30 scalps as well.
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