Abhishek Sharma (Image credit: BCCI) Back in the Wankhede, Team India the opener will be hoping to rediscover that fearless touch at the venue where he smashed 135 against England last yearMUMBAI: With the way Abhishek Sharma has punished everything thrown his way in the build-up to the T20 World Cup, he has been tipped to light up the tournament. It also meant opposition teams went the extra mile to probe for chinks in his armour.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!Apart from the match against Zimbabwe – where the left-hander hit a half-century – opponents have largely managed to keep him quiet. His scores were 0, 0, 0, 15, 55 and 10. Still, the team’s management showed confidence in the 25-year-old and supported him despite a visible drop in confidence. With Thursday’s semi-final against England at the Wankhede Stadium, changes to the starting XI look unlikely.
India fans have been waiting for more than four hours to see their heroes outside the Wankhede
India practiced in full force on Tuesday with the players spending considerable time on the field across the four nets. Abhishek was the last of the playing eleven’s batsmen to field, facing mostly net bowlers, with Arshdeep Singh and Tilak Varma the only regulars to play him. He faced a leg-spinner, two off-spinners – operating from either side of the crease and the angled back of length – and several right-arm pacers.The Sunrisers Hyderabad opener focused on playing as evenly as possible, a routine he adopted after his early matches in the tournament. His six statements so far show a clear pattern. Teams tried to block his scoring zones, squeeze him into space and slow the ball down.Against Pakistan, the Netherlands and the West Indies, he fell into darts firing back darts to middle and leg, keeping the ball outside his arc as he tried to pull or snap towards the leg side. Against South Africa and Zimbabwe, slower deliveries from the pacers fooled him, leading to misfires.A high risk approach has its risks and it is never easy to change overnight. However, there were signs of adjustment during his 30-ball 55 against Zimbabwe – the second-slowest fifty of his T20I career – where he showed more interest in playing with a straight bat.Salman Agha and Aryan Dutt have been giving him problems so it will be interesting to see if England field Will Jacks soon, although India have tried to balance their top order with left-weights by including Sanju Samson.The immediate challenge for Abhishek will be to lay off the shot against the spinners in the early stages and come up with a plan for back-end deliveries. For example, he could take a leaf out of Samson’s playbook against the West Indies – create space to cut off square of the wicket or step into the line to get to the leg side. Experts believe he should trust his natural instincts, but allow himself time at the crease before shifting gears.More than a year ago, Abhishek smashed a 54-ball 135 – his highest T20I score and second century – against England at the Wankhede, facing an attack that included Jofra Archer, Jamie Overton and Adil Rashid. The Indian think-tank will be hoping he can take inspiration from these innings and rediscover the fearless stroke play that once made him the toast of Indian cricket.
