Abhishek Sharma vs off-spin: how his average went from 10.6 to 42

It showed during the IPL. His average and strike rate against off-spinners climbed to 62 and 230. “What he’s done really well is assess the situation…he might be conservative with the first one or two deliveries. But then once he understands the pace of the pitch and if there’s turn, then he goes to work,” Sunrisers Hyderabad assistant coach Simon Helmot said, speaking to The Indian Express.

His head coach at the Punjab domestic team, Amit Uniyal, said Abhishek has understood that he must play with the turn rather than against it. “For example, if the ball is going away from the body, playing across the line becomes dangerous. Now he has that like clarity; he is reading whether there is a turn or not. Where there is no turn, he goes straight. Where there is a turn, he goes over-cover.”

“He’s so strong down the ground, you know, from extra cover or cover to mid-wicket against spin. But then if he thinks it’s turning more, he’ll adjust his feet more, either across the crease or by backing away to give himself room to then access other areas,” Helmot said.

The willingness to see those first few deliveries early against off-spin started to pay off for the southpaw. In Indian colours since the World Cup, he has averaged 42 and struck at 237 across 14 innings. He has been dismissed four times by off-spinners, two of them by Chase in the ongoing series against West Indies.

The intent to take a measured approach was there on both occasions. In Ranchi he had his feet stuck at the crease and tried to hit across the line, and was caught at mid-on, the flaw that troubled him at the World Cup. In Lucknow the dismissal came from the method he was trying to use, getting into “good positions”. He gave himself room, but the ball caught the toe-end and carried to long-off. It did not work that day, but it was a tactic that bore fruit in the IPL and in the third T20I.

“Good positions means giving himself some room or getting inside the line and hitting it over backward square where there’s no boundary rider,” Helmot said. While the SRH coach acknowledges that hitting down the ground is one of Abhishek’s strengths, bowlers have tried to cramp him for room by bowling on his pads, to which he also had to adapt.

“It’s not just straight down the wicket…when Abhishek’s opening the batting to off-spin, they try and tuck him up. And there might be a deep-mid wicket and a deep-mid on. So, for him, it’s about how he tries to expose the field… And that’s where Abhi has extreme skill,” Helmot added.

Abhishek is well aware of what the opposition will dangle to force an error. “He looks to be, at times, an expansive, carefree player. But he’s very tactical,” Helmot said. “He is very much aware of what the opposition are going to do to him. And whether he needs some data analytics to assist in that or needs a teammate discussion.”

“Preparation is really important. If I want to continue playing like this and utilise the powerplay, as the team wants me to, preparation really matters. I always believe it depends on which team I’m going to play against and which bowlers I’m going to face.

Whenever I have time, whether it’s a week, a few days or two or three days, the preparation is very specific: which bowler is going to plan for me, and how I’m going to execute my plan and dominate. That’s always there,” Abhishek said in the post-match press conference after his 30-ball 69-run innings in the third T20I.

His father, Raj Kumar Sharma, is not worried. “Abhishek does not see off-spinners as a threat. He has the game and shots in his book to counter off-spinners…batsmen also fall against pacers, and that’s normal.”