Kotak Backs Abhishek, Tilak Amid India's Must-Win T20 World Cup Clash

Following a painful 76-run loss to South Africa at Ahmedabad, India faces Zimbabwe in a must-win contest. On the other side, they will also have fingers crossed that South Africa, which put them in such a place, ends the Super Eight stage unbeaten. The failure of Abhishek and Tilak at the top, particularly against off-spin, has played a massive role in India's fortune declining in the Super Eight phase and their flaws getting exposed game by game.

The whole cricketing world waited with bated breath to see the world number one batter, Abhishek, collect a run after three successive ducks in the tournament. But even though he got off the mark against South Africa, his stint at the crease was a short one, yielding just 15 runs in 12 balls. The left-hander was mostly swinging at the ball in hopes of landing some lusty blows again, but his poor run continued. On the other hand, while Tilak has made some runs, his strike rate of just over 118 is a concern. He has also made just 107 runs in five innings, with his average being around 21.

"We lost one game only, it was a good game for them, we did not bat well. Abhishek looked good in the last game; overthinking about one individual does not make sense. It puts too much pressure on them. Our job is to keep him in a good frame of mind. So when he was scoring 80, 70, 90 in 30 balls, 100 in 40, 50 balls, that time nobody was discussing his game. Once he starts hitting the ball again, you will see the same Abhishek again. There is no doubt. Now, in this game, nobody can give a guarantee that he will do it in the next match. But I think he is not far (from a big score)," said Sitanshu.

Sitanshu also said that there are no issues with Tilak's mostly run-a-ball strike rate as well, pointing out that his 25 in 24 against Pakistan was a part of the plan where his side was targeting 175 or more on a tough Colombo pitch.

"Our planning was right. The ball was spinning there. Ishan gave us a fine start, and after such a start, no team wants to lose three or four wickets quickly. It is a matter of two boundaries for Tilak. Sometimes a batsman does not get those balls. So I don't think there is a question of run-a-ball. Neither is he instructed (to go at run a ball). Neither does he think so himself. Sometimes, depending on wickets and depending on the situation, I think there was more about partnerships in that game in Colombo. And I think we achieved that," he concluded.

- ANI