Sunil Gavaskar has sent out a clear message to Abhishek Sharma ahead of India’s Super 8 challenge. The batting legend believes the youngster must block out the noise and free himself from the burden of expectations.

Gavaskar stressed that Abhishek does not need to chase big shots from the very first ball. Instead, he should focus on staying at the crease and building his innings. According to him, time in the middle will naturally bring confidence and runs.

The advice comes at a worrying time for India. The world No. 1 T20I batter has endured a quiet group stage. Three matches. Zero runs. Only eight balls faced in total.

While talking to Star Sports, Gavaskar stated “Maybe the expectations might be weighing just a little too heavily on him. He is a lovely guy. If he had got a flying start in the first game, things might have been different. But now, you can sense that the expectations of being the big guy, the six-hitter, the No. 1 batter in the team, might be weighing heavily on him.”

“I think with the range of shots he has, he has to give himself a little more time in the middle. Not be looking to open his innings with a boundary or a six. If he gets it, then fine – but looking to play across the line for the big shot, no. Even if there are four dot balls, it does not matter because in the next four to eight balls he can make up for that.”

Gavaskar further suggested Sharma to play ‘smart cricket”.

“He has to play smart cricket. He has to get the circulation in his legs. He has to get off the mark. If you are playing for India, you have to get off the mark and everything will fall in place. The way he is getting out is very predictable.”

“The mindset is such that, ‘I am being seen as somebody who hits at a 200 strike-rate, I have to live up to that.’ You don’t have to. It’s just natural – when you take a couple of singles, you get a sense of the pitch. He will get a big score once he gets set,” Gavaskar said.