Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma defended blindly by India coach amid horrible form in T20 World Cup

Sitanshu Kotak backs two out-of-form batters, Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma: The India National Cricket Team will be playing the Zimbabwe National Cricket Team on Thursday, 26th February, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. The match is scheduled to start at 7:00 PM IST. It is a must-win game for the co-hosts to stay in contention for the semi-final race. They are having the pre-match press conference today.

Sitanshu Kotak, the team India batting coach, was present during the pre-match press conference. Kotak has been blunt with his statement, many times, during the last time he called out the player accountability to not perform under pressure in big games. However, this time he has backed his team and the two off-form batters of the team, Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma.

Abhishek Sharma looked good in the last game - Sitanshu Kotak

Abhishek Sharma’s form has been under scrutiny from former cricketers and fans, as Abhishek Sharma has been out of runs with three consecutive ducks and just 15 runs in the last innings. His average has gone down to 3, and his strike rate to 75. However, Kotak has backed Abhishek Sharma and feels he will surely find runs in the next game.

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Sitanshu Kotak on Abhishek Sharma’s poor form said, “We have only lost one game, it was a good game for them we didn't bat well. Abhishek Sharma looked good in the last game, overthinking about one individual doesn't make sense. It puts too much pressure on them. Our job is to keep him in a good frame of mind.”

Sintanshu Kotak also talked about another batter whose strike rate and form have been a concern. Tilak Varma has faced a lot of criticism for playing slowly; however, it has been cleared from the team management about the role. He was dismissed playing a reckless shot against South Africa, which gained a lot of criticism. Kotak backed Tilak Varma in the press conference.

There are no issues with how Tilak is batting - Sitanshu Kotak

Kotak further added on Tilak Varma’s approach and form, “There are no issues with how Tilak is batting. He batted well against Pakistan. For Tilak, it is a matter of two boundaries (on his strike rate). There's no concern about his run-a-ball innings. There is no tension regarding Abhishek, Tilak or even the loss against SA.”

The former cricketers and pundits have also questioned India’s batting order, as currently the team has six left-handers in the playing XI, which makes it easier for the opponents to plan their strategy, as they have used off-spinners in the very first over to get rid of one of the openers.

Axar Patel to come back in the side

India have failed to score well against slower balls and has collapsed against every opponent in this tournament. So, there can be changes on the side with Rinku Singh headed back home due to a family emergency, and Sanju Samson can replace him in the upcoming match.

There might also be another change with Axar Patel coming back in the side with six right-handers being there in the Zimbabwe team, in place of Washington Sundar, as the latter’s performance also has not been great in the tournament.

Also Read: 'Angry' Gautam Gambhir brutally scolded Suryakumar Yadav & Co. after India's loss to South Africa