Chennai, February 25 India's batting coach, Sitanshu Kotak, backed opener Abhishek Sharma to regain his form, but did not rule out making tactical changes to the top order, including playing Sanju Samson, in India's must-win T20 World Cup Super 8 match against Zimbabwe on Thursday.
Coming into the ICC tournament in excellent form, Abhishek has struggled so far, scoring only 15 runs from four matches with an average of 3.75 and a strike rate of 75.
However, Kotak expressed confidence in the left-handed batsman, who missed the group match against Namibia due to a stomach bug.
"Abhishek's health was a bit of an issue, and after that, there wasn't much momentum. But in the last game (against South Africa), he looked good, and I personally don't think over-analyzing one individual is the right approach," Kotak said during the pre-match press conference.
"If we focus too much on one player, that player will also be under pressure. When he was scoring 80, 70, or 90 in 30 balls, or 100 in 40 or 50 balls, nobody was talking about it.
"Our job is to keep him in a good frame of mind. Once he starts hitting the ball again, you'll see the same Abhishek. Now, in T20s, no one can guarantee that he will perform in the next match. So, I think it's not far off (for Abhishek to score big)," he added.
However, Abhishek's struggles against off-spinners in this tournament have been evident. He has even been dismissed by young players like Aryan Dutt of the Netherlands.
So, is Sanju Samson being considered for the match against Zimbabwe to tackle the spinners in the African team?
Kotak did not deny that the team management is considering this option, but did not commit to the nature of the changes.
"There could be changes, yes, because two left-handed openers are in the lineup, the number three batsman is also left-handed, and the opposition is bowling spin. I personally don't think there is any problem in that, but because we lost the last game (against South Africa), we lost a wicket in the first over...obviously, any team would think about it," he said.
"We'll see how it goes because we never decide the team too early. And obviously, it's not fair to start revealing your plans in advance. But there will be thoughts," he added.
The Saurashtra stalwart also dismissed the idea of reading too much into the sight of Samson batting ahead of Abhishek in practice sessions here.
"So, one thing that's normal in every practice session, Abhishek doesn't bat first. Okay, he always bats in the second and third slots. So, that's one thing. Sanju would normally bat up if we have that space because Abhishek doesn't bat first. And Sanju is the third opener and a wicketkeeper.
"So, he bats anywhere. Sometimes he wants to do some drills and he goes behind and does things. So, that's not an indication (of Samson's inclusion). Yes, definitely, there will be thoughts about playing him. But practice sessions don't give any indication," he added.
Another concern for the Indian team has been the underwhelming strike rate of No.3 batter Tilak Varma (118), which has deprived India of the momentum that Ishan Kishan provided.
However, Kotak did not find any fault with Tilak's approach.
"There are no issues with Tilak because in the Pakistan game, our target (while batting first) was 175, and on that wicket, that was good enough. Ishan gave a good start. The ball was spinning there (in Colombo). So, any team wouldn't want to lose 3-4 wickets at a time," he said.
"So, for Tilak, it's a matter of getting two boundaries. Sometimes a batsman doesn't get those balls. If he is at 34-35 in the 30th or 32nd ball, or at 28 in the 26th ball, if he gets one boundary, two boundaries and a six, then he will get a move on.
"So, I don't think there is a question of defending the ball. Neither does he have any such instruction, nor does he think so himself. So, there is no tension for Tilak or Abhishek," he added.