A keenly watched contest unfolded at the India nets in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, as batter Abhishek Sharma faced pace bowler Arshdeep Singh, drawing the attention of fans and team management alike. The session offered a glimpse into the Indian team’s preparations ahead of their T20 World Cup match against the Netherlands on Wednesday.
The practice session wasn’t without its distractions. According to observers, Sharma was momentarily unsettled on two occasions by enthusiastic fans waving Indian flags near the sight screen. After initially attempting to ask the fans to cease, Sharma resumed his practice, adjusting his stance from leg-stump to off-stump and adopting an aggressive, baseball-style approach, swinging at nearly every delivery.
The duel with Singh saw Sharma launch three consecutive balls down the ground before Singh responded with a slower delivery that ultimately beat the opener. Singh’s reaction – pointing towards the watching crowd – suggested a friendly competitive edge. Sharma, undeterred, immediately returned to the nets with two new bats, seeking further practice.
The intensity of Sharma’s session prompted coach Gautam Gambhir to join him, requesting a battery of spin bowlers – including Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, and Kuldeep Yadav – to test the left-handed batter. For approximately 30 minutes, Sharma continued his aggressive approach against the spinners before eventually mis-hitting a delivery. This focused practice is believed to be preparation for facing Netherlands bowler Aryan Dutt.
The net session underscored Sharma’s intent, with the sound of his powerful shots reportedly audible even 120 metres away. This display of aggression resonated with comments made by India’s batting coach, Sitanshu Kotak, who dismissed concerns about Sharma’s recent form. Sharma has registered two ducks in his first two innings of the tournament, lasting a combined five deliveries.
“The one thing we definitely don’t unnecessarily do is over-analyse,” Kotak stated at a press conference. “Sometimes you [as batters] start making more assumptions than the opposition do. He has his plans sorted, he follows the way he wants to, and obviously we discuss the opposition, their bowling, their strengths, what they’ve been doing – all that is normal for everyone, not just Abhishek.”
Kotak acknowledged that Sharma had been hampered by illness prior to the match against Namibia, and highlighted the high-risk nature of the T20 format. “Before he fell ill, he made runs. In the T20 format also, sometimes a 10-ball 30 is as important. It’s not like he hasn’t scored runs. T20 format is high-risk, someone will secure out [playing attacking cricket]. If we stress so much on it [the occasional failures], players will be under pressure.”
The team management appears confident in Sharma’s approach, even acknowledging that opposing teams are dedicating significant planning to counter his strengths. Kotak responded with a laugh to suggestions that Sharma was feeling pressure from such analysis. “A lot of credit to Abhishek, if that’s how they are planning so much against him. I’m sure he must be doing so well that they’re concerned.”
Kotak emphasized the importance of adaptability in T20 cricket, citing Suryakumar Yadav’s innings against the USA – where he scored an unbeaten 84 after India had been reduced to 77 for 6 – as an example. “I think playing aggressive cricket is important. But I don’t think plans change based on whether a player has failed or not. If anything, plans will change according to situations. Whether someone scores runs or not is not important, what team requires at a time and players trying to execute that is more important.”
Arshdeep Singh recently revealed that Sharma often avoids facing Indian bowlers in the nets, a testament to the challenge Sharma presents. “In the nets, he mostly says that he doesn’t want to bat against us. He doesn’t play against bowlers from his own team a lot. We are quite happy that we don’t have to bowl to him,” Singh said.
