Thirty-six hours to go until the much-awaited India-England semi-final in Mumbai by the time you read this piece. While India are a very good unit, there are no favourites in a knockout encounter. England have their own strengths and are more than capable of knocking India out. What this means is that India will have to bring their A game to win the contest.
India were excellent in the run chase against West Indies. While Sanju Samson starred, the cameos from Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube were just as important and effective. They helped mask the lack of runs from Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan at the top, and that’s how team sport should be. Not every day will everyone contribute, but in good teams someone or the other always steps up. That’s what has happened with India throughout the competition. They haven’t fired as a collective and yet they are in the semi-finals, which tells us how good they are as a team. But in a semi-final against quality opposition, you need to fire on all cylinders.
Abhishek, apart from the match against Zimbabwe, hasn’t really got going. It can happen to the best, and he is no exception. For me, the main issue with him is self-doubt. Let me give an example to illustrate the point. It was late in the West Indies innings when Abhishek dropped a second catch at midwicket. The moment the shot was played, you could see him in two minds about whether to run towards the ball and attempt the catch or stay put and save the runs. One can’t fault him, for Washington Sundar had run in against South Africa and eventually conceded a boundary. In the end, Abhishek did run in and did reach the ball. He got both hands to it but couldn’t hold on. Indecision had cost him the catch, and you could sense there must have been self-doubt.
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It was borne out yet again when he came out to bat. He played 10 balls for 10 runs, and it was clear he was trying to ensure he did not get out while attempting to attack in the powerplay. This is a departure from the Abhishek of 2025. He has the licence from the management to be aggressive at the start. He needs to forget about the possibility of getting out and simply play the way he is used to. With Abhishek, every dot ball builds pressure. It is not something he is accustomed to, and sooner or later the mistake will come. Gautam Gambhir could have a quiet word with him and just tell him to do what he did throughout last year.
India need Abhishek to be in an uncluttered frame of mind. The dropped catches did not help, as they must have put additional pressure on him to perform. None of this is unnatural, and the best always find a way. Abhishek has a great opportunity against England, on a ground where he scored a century against them last year. Even half of that would suffice and do the job for India.
Also Read: Sanju Samson Seizes the Moment and Keeps India’s T20 World Cup Dream Alive