Abhishek Sharma (right) talks to his father Rajkumar Sharma at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. (Photo courtesy of Sahil Malhotra) TimesofIndia.com in Ahmedabad: On Saturday, most eyes were glued to the nets where Abhishek Sharma was batting during India’s practice session on the eve of the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand. Facing a mix of specialist bowlers and net bowlers, Abhishek batted for close to 30 minutes and was watched closely by batting coach Sitanshu Kotak and head coach Gautam Gambhir. Off-spin was the flavour, and there were plenty of inside-out hits that got cleaner and cleaner as he settled into the crease.
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Abhishek’s father and children’s coach Rajkumar Sharma was stationed away from the action but in the best possible position to watch his son go through the paces one last time before the big night. The father was not afraid and kept stretching his neck in the direction where the ball was hit. Each sweet connection was met with a nod of assurance. Unbeknownst to his son, his father, his biggest cheerleader, supporter and critic, was quietly present to offer support during the toughest phase of his career.
Abhishek Sharma (left) returns after meeting his father Rajkumar Sharma at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. (Photo courtesy of Sahil Malhotra)
“After a long time I look at the net, tomorrow everything will be better, the team will also win the world championship. (I see his net after a long time. Tomorrow everything will be good and the team will win the World Cup),” he joked.“I’m sitting there,” he said, pointing to the hospitality box above, “but the real fun is watching the match from here. I’ve watched all his cricket starts from near the boundary ropes, it’s been fun,” added the father.Without his glasses, he couldn’t watch the action as closely as he would have liked, but the sound of the gunshots was convincing enough to bring a smile to his face. When Abhishek completed his hit, coach Gambhir called him over and the two chatted for almost twenty minutes. It was a lively pep talk, punctuated by fingers pointing to different parts of the country and plenty of reassurance.
Abhishek Sharma (left) talks to head coach Gautam Gambhir after his stint at the nets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. (Photo courtesy of Sahil Malhotra)
Father Rajkumar watched the interview and the moment it ended, netballers and onlookers showered Abhishek with requests for selfies and autographs. He obliged them all and the father gave his son the space he required before walking over to him.“Please tell me I came. (laughs) (I’ll tell him I’m here),” he said.Father and son met and had a brief chat, mostly about cricket and batting, before the moment was interrupted by more demands of “Mr. Abhishek, Mr. Abhishek.”Abhishek asked a member of the support staff to take his kit to the dressing room and the relaxed left-hander made sure to sign every piece of paper that passed him through the security fence.
Abhishek Sharma talks to his father Rajkumar Sharma after the Indian batting on the eve of the T20 World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. (Photo courtesy of Sahil Malhotra)
It was a tough tournament for the world number one as he was not yet firing on all cylinders and struggled with off-spin. Teams cracked his code and he scored his first World Cup runs in the fourth innings after three ducks. A stomach infection that forced him to the hospital didn’t help, and getting back to fluency has been a struggle ever since. The batsman, who destroyed the opposition in the matches leading up to the tournament, became a running wicket for the opposition. All he has to do is field the off-spinner. Even a part-time worker could do it.After tallying 89 runs in eight matches, the youngster will have to take a new wicket and forget everything that has happened so far. For some batters, it’s all about getting two sweet hits out of the way before normalcy returns. Abhishek belongs to this school of batting and doesn’t have to look too far for inspiration. In the match against Zimbabwe, the opener tried to bide his time in the middle and while he lacked rotation in the power-play, his patience also paid off.
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“Two (prayer),” was the word the father used repeatedly as he met several greetings at the screen. He also had a brief interaction with ICC chairman Jay Shah, who was inspecting preparations for the grand final at the Narendra Modi Stadium with other officials from the global cricket body.As the team returned to the dressing room and the floor was cleared for Sunday’s musical performance, father Rajkumar left the premises with a prayer that his son would return to his dominant ways as he watched from the third hospitality box.
