AHMEDABAD: Zero. DNP. 0. 0. When Abhishek Sharma took strike in the opening game against the United States of America, no one would have expected his scores in the group stage of the T20 World Cup to be made of a binary.
Coming into the tournament, he was the batter to watch. He was expected to dominate the world stage, setting the tone up front. However, he's still waiting for his moment.
Three ducks in as many games. Of course, there are some mitigating circumstances because of the stomach infection he picked up in Mumbai in the first match. It's resulted in a loss of a few kilos. He's had to miss some training sessions, sessions where he would have worked on his game. But, at some point, the team management may be forced into a decision.
In the game against US, an Ali Khan length delivery was sliced straight into the hands of deep cover. It was potential red flag area for him and USA worked it out perfectly.
He missed the Namibia clash after being hospitalised in the lead-up to the game in New Delhi. When he returned for the all-important contest against Pakistan, the subcontinental rivals had planned out his dismissal with Salman Agha getting rid of Abhishek in the very first over.
At this point, concerns loomed over his form. India had just one match to go against the Netherlands in Ahmedabad, and it was the perfect chance for Abhishek to spend some time in the middle and gain some confidence. He needed it. After all, the pressure and expectations of a World Cup are much higher in comparison to bilaterals played on flat pitches. And it showed.
As Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to bat first against the Netherlands in Ahmedabad, it was with one intention. To test the batting line-up and give them some game-time, despite knowing that dew was going to kick in later in the evening. And Abhishek was one of those who desperately needed some runs.
However, when he walked out with Ishan Kishan, it was not his name on the back but that of Mohammed Siraj’s. Just before entering, he seemed to have had some issue with his jersey, and with no time to get another jersey of his from the dressing room, Abhishek had to don Siraj’s jersey when he took guard against Aryan Dutt.
Even though it was not something planned, it made one wonder whether Siraj’s jersey would bring the change in luck that he needed. However, that was not to be. Much like the case in Colombo, he tried to take on the off-spinner, swinging across the line, only to lose his stumps. A distraught Abhishek threw his bat up in disappointment before taking the long walk back. His group stage is over, and Abhishek is yet to get off the mark.
Before the Netherlands match, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak had said that they do not want to over-analyse Abhishek’s dismissals and backed him to come good. “... he wasn't well, so he didn't play. In the last game, he got out in the first over. So one thing... we unnecessarily don't over-analyse, because sometimes you only start making a lot of assumptions than the opposition are. So he is someone who has got his plan sorted and he follows the way he wants to and obviously we discuss about the opposition, their bowling, their bowling strength, whatever they've been doing in the last few games they've played,” Kotak had said. “I think obviously, Abhishek has made runs in the matches before that. Now in the T20 format, sometimes in 10 balls, 30 runs are just as important. So it's not like he didn't make runs. Honestly, we focus on all the batters or all the players. We don't think that one player didn't get his runs. Because in T20, there is a high-risk game, somewhere or the other, a player will get out. If we start stressing so much, I think players will be under unnecessary pressure. So he's in good form. He's got clear plans. He's got a clear mindset. And that is what matters for us.”
However, as he finished the group stage without a single run, it may be time for the team management to have a conversation with him, at least to make sure he does not go into a shell and remains in a good headspace. Because Abhishek is crucial for India’s plans as they get ready to take on South Africa, Zimbabwe and the West Indies in the Super 8s. The sooner he gets some runs and confidence back, the better it is for India
