Gavaskar begs Abhishek Sharma to take THIS advice to find form amid crushing show with bat in T20 WC

Indian cricket great Sunil Gavaskar tried saving Abhishek Sharma from embarrassment following his three ducks in the ongoing T20 World Cup, but the ranked number one batter didn’t listen. He went ahead with his natural game against South Africa in the just-concluded Super 8 tie in Ahmedabad, and even though he got off to a mark and scored a couple of fours, his manner of dismissal left everyone worried, including Gavaskar, who again begged him to follow this simple advice amid crushing form.

Having called out numerous games over the years, Gavaskar has witnessed talented players either make it big or crumble under pressure, and he fears Abhishek might suffer a similar fate if he continues to play in the same manner. Although he backed the freakish left-hander to come good as the tournament progresses, he advised him to take it slowly at the start, something Abhishek must realise before it gets too late.

"The fluency is not there at the moment. In the nets, you know you'll face the next ball even if you get out on the first. But in a match, it's a completely different story. That pressure can almost freeze you, restricting the free movement of the arms when aiming for a big shot. He got a little stuck there, and South Africa bowled very cleverly. They know he likes to make room and play through the offside, so look at Rabada, he kept targeting the pads relentlessly, even after conceding a six," Gavaskar said on Star Sports after the match.

Against South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Abhishek opened his account with a boundary on the offside and another one before miscuing one, only for Corbin Bosch to grab it brilliantly. While he followed his instincts and did what he does best despite suffering three failures (mostly against off spin thus far), Abhishek found it troublesome to take on the South African pacers, who kept bowling wide and away and also on the chest-height area to keep him silent. The ploy worked as Abhishek failed to get going and eventually got out on 15.

Considering India must win the remaining two matches convincingly against Zimbabwe (Feb 26) and the West Indies (Mar 1), while also hoping for other results to fall in their favour for them to cruise into the semis, Abhishek’s form would be key to India’s title defence.

For the co-hosts, they have a backup option in Sanju Samson, who, although he fared poorly against New Zealand in the lead-up to this competition, is one of the best players on song on his day.