Ahmedabad, February 19 The legendary Sunil Gavaskar believes that Abhishek Sharma is struggling to cope with the pressure of expectations in the ongoing T20 World Cup and wants the aggressive opener to avoid playing across the line at the start of his innings.
Entering the tournament as the top-ranked T20I batter, Abhishek has been experiencing a significant dip in form, having registered three consecutive ducks.
"Abhishek Sharma is a great guy, but the pressure seems to be getting to him. If he had started well against the USA, things would have been different. Now, the pressure of being a big hitter and the top batter is showing," Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
Abhishek has yet to score a run in his debut ICC event, having played against the USA, Pakistan, and the Netherlands.
Gavaskar said the 25-year-old left-handed batsman needs to play smart cricket at the start of his innings.
"Take a single and get off to a good start. Even if you get four dot balls, it's not a big deal. You can make up for it later. You need to play smart at the beginning. Spend an over or two settling in, and then play your natural game," he said.
India defeated the Netherlands by 17 runs on Wednesday, thanks to Shivam Dube's attacking 66 off 31 balls and Varun Chakravarthy's 3 for 14, to top Group A.
Gavaskar praised Dube and said the left-handed all-rounder just needs to add one shot to his game to become "a really dangerous batter".
"Shivam Dube is very difficult to bowl to because he has a wide range of shots. You can bowl outside off stump, but he still has the power to hit over long on. He is not just looking to hit over mid-wicket and square-leg. He can also clear long off.
"If he works hard on developing the inside-out shot over extra cover, he will become a really dangerous batter. Then he can hit the ball to any part of the ground. The way Shivam Dube is maturing with every innings is good news for India," the former captain noted.
Gavaskar praised Chakravarthy for his sensational run, saying that the spinner is a key bowler for India in this format.
"Varun Chakaravarthy's figures of three for 14 in four overs are amazing. When you take wickets, you also restrict the opposition's scoring. Clearly, Varun will be your key bowler.
"Yes, Jasprit Bumrah will be there at the start. And if Hardik Pandya can contribute with a couple of wickets upfront, that will be a big help. But India will heavily rely on Varun's four overs. It will be interesting to see how the opposition tries to counter him in the Super 8 stage," he said.
Talking about potential changes India can make in the Super 8 clash against South Africa on Sunday, Gavaskar backed Axar Patel to return in place of Arshdeep Singh.
"I feel Axar Patel will definitely return to the playing XI for the Super 8 games. Now, whether he comes in place of Arshdeep Singh, we will have to wait and see. Whether Washington keeps his place is another aspect we don't know.
"My feeling is that Washington will probably keep his place. On a ground like the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, on a pitch that hardly has any turn, the team management might not go with Kuldeep Yadav," he said.
"Kuldeep also didn't play too many matches against South Africa in the five-match T20I series. My feeling is that Washington Sundar, being able to bat at number eight and hit the ball, gives him an advantage. So I feel only the return of Axar Patel in place of Arshdeep Singh will be the change."
