Three consecutive ducks but the mindset remains the same. Opener Abhishek Sharma is not willing to curb his natural instinct to attack. There has been much criticism and he has received support from current and former cricketers to back himself after failing to register a run at the group stage. Ahead of the Super 8 clash against South Africa, Abhishek said that he is focusing on the process and not thinking about the pressure of the big game.
“I just enjoy my batting," he said in a video shared by Star Sports. “I stopped taking pressure two years ago because I realised the process is in my hands. Practice and training are what I can control, and that’s what I focus on. I enjoy this, so there’s no pressure as such."
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Abhishek has been a phenomenon for his ability to strike from ball one. Even with the number of ducks in the recent times, he has been scoring at a strike rate of 224.69 in eight T20Is played this year. He has two fifties in the calendar year already and will be backing himself to come good against the Proteas.
“Batters always go through ups and downs. Sometimes the runs come, sometimes they don’t. But I’ve decided that I will play a certain way, with a certain intent. I may or may not succeed, but I won’t change my process or mindset," he said.
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Meanwhile, skipper Suryakumar Yadav in the pre-game press conference backed Abhishek. He pointed out how much Abhishek has contributed in the past.
"Jo log chinta kar rahe unke liye mai chinta karta hu ki wo kyu chinta kar rahe. Team ko pata hai wo kaisa karta hai Abhishek Sharma ne bhut kiya hai agar nhi kar raha to is bar hum kar lenge uske liye (I worry about those who are worried, why they are worried. The team knows how Abhishek works. Abhishek Sharma has done a lot, if he is not doing it, then this time we will do it for him)," Suryakumar told the reporters.
Will Markram bowl against Abhishek?
In the last two games, Abhishek has lost his wicket of right-arm off-spinners. In the current South African side, skipper Aiden Markram can follow a similar approach to keep Abhishek on his toes early on in the innings where he is most vulnerable and dangerous as well.