Coaches divided as Abhishek Sharma battles form slump

Sunil Gavaskar suggested that he take a single to break out of the 'zero' block. "He shouldn't force himself to play big shots across the line. Take a single and get off the mark. Even four dot balls don't matter," the former India captain, himself an opener, advised the struggling Abhishek Sharma.

The opener cut one to the fence, ending his sequence of ducks in the World Cup and raising hopes of a much-awaited return to form. It mattered little in the end, however, as he and his side both sank against South Africa.

Abhishek managed to hit two more boundaries but he could not wriggle out of the slump that he has found himself in since the World Cup began. Previously, he had struggled against off-spinners, which led to his dismissals in the last two games. On Sunday night against South Africa, however, he found himself challenged by the pacers, who bowled wide and slow to prevent him from scoring big. It is clear that the young opener needs to evolve his game as he is in danger of being sorted out by the opposition.

The Indian coaches differed on how to address the Abhishek situation. "I think Abhi's preparation coming into the World Cup with the food poisoning that he had at one stage has obviously hampered his progress in terms of where we want him to be at this phase," assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said.

"You want him to be up and running and sort of confident in his swing and confident in his game plan and when you score three zeros that is going to start weighing on you. I saw some really good signs on Friday night in the nets, I think I mentioned it in the presser then. But he looks a little bit short and our job as the coaching staff is to pull that right. We've got four days to do that."

But Sitanshu Kotak felt it is not the time to work on his technique or approach. "I think it's not like a struggle. Even today, I felt that he got a start. If you say a lot of things to the batsman at this time, it is more beneficial to not say anything to him. Every player has such a slack period of 2-3 matches. And it is the same time when five people think, 'let's go and tell him something," said the India batting coach.

"If you ask for my knowledge, I don't think you will be able to tell him in two days and change him. If anything, you will put more doubts in his mind. That is how I think. So, this is my coaching philosophy. If there is time, 15 days, you can do something. Otherwise, it is all about him watching the ball better.

"He will have to plan his innings better, which we discuss - by talking to one or two people, in his comfort. For any player. Not only Abhishek. And he is such a player that you must have seen such phases in his IPL as well. I know that. But in such 2-3 matches, in such high-risk, high-reward situations, that thing is bound to happen. So, we have to be prepared for that."

Abhishek, known for his explosive batting, has been unusually quiet in the World Cup. His scratchy score of 15 against South Africa on Sunday night followed three ducks earlier in the tournament, and India's none-too-authoritative performance so far has coincided with the dip in his form.

"The format has an inbuilt mechanism of high variability and unpredictability. It is critical that players understand this first and foremost; along with coaches, management, owners, and every other stakeholder in the sport. The Abhishek Sharma conundrum exists within this very cauldron," says Zubin Bharucha, a coach of repute who has trained players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Dhruv Jurel among others.

"It challenges the traditional notion of 'form.' In a format where a player can swing from zero to a hundred on any given day, as we've seen in the career record of someone like Sanju Samson while opening (zero or hundred) - the idea of form becomes almost redundant. Players must grow comfortable with the oscillation between failure and cashing in.

"For Abhishek Sharma, it would be far more productive not to equate success by bashing ball after ball in his net sessions, but instead to focus on walking out with the same fearless, almost incredulous mindset that has brought him recent success - and to maximise the moment when it arrives," says Bharucha, who has also worked closely with Samson, who is a potential contender for Abhishek's place should the Indian decide to make change at the top.

Basketball great Michael Jordan's words may aptly describe the Abhishek situation. "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and miss. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

He has failed all four innings so far in this World Cup. Maybe that is why there is a hope for him to succeed in the next few games, as Jordan's experience goes.