All about Abhishek Sharma’s Lonely Network in Ahmedabad
“Abhishek Sharma is a nice guy but he seems to be weighed down by expectations,” Gavaskar told Star Sports. “If he had started well against USA, it would have been different. Now the pressure of being a big number six hitter and a top batsman is showing.”According to Gavaskar, the aggressive 25-year-old’s instincts work against him at the start of his innings. “With his shooting range, he needs to spend time in the middle. He can’t try to hit a boundary or a six on the first ball of his innings. If the big shots come, fine. But he shouldn’t force himself to play big shots over the line.”Instead, the former captain emphasized the importance of small beginnings. “Take a single and get out. Four balls don’t matter either. He can make it up later. He needs to play smart at the start. Spend more than two overs and then play his natural game.”“First, just get off the mark. Every batsman wants that first run. Once he gets that, everything falls into place,” he added.While Abhishek struggled, Gavaskar was full of praise for all-rounder Shivam Dube, whose explosive 66 helped India to a 17-run win over the Netherlands. “Shivam Dube is very difficult to beat as he has a wide range of strokes. If he works hard to develop his inside-out shot through extra cover, he will become a really scary batsman,” he said.Gavaskar also highlighted the importance of spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who took 3 for 14. “When you take wickets, you also take runs. Varun will definitely be your key bowler. India will depend a lot on his four overs,” he noted.