Abhishek, Tilak are struggling with pressure more than anything: What must Team India management do?

Pressure does funny things in sport, they say. You could be coasting otherwise, but the moment there is a hint of pressure, it could all crumble and lead to a capitulation. Countless individuals, over the years, have tried to overcome it. Only a few, or the very best, manage to stave it off consistently, though.

And all of those expectations, all of those thoughts around what will happen if a mistake is made, get amplified during a World Cup. Because, well, the whole world is watching. And because the whole world wants to win it and be crowned champions.

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Is pressure India's biggest opponent?

Before a ball had been bowled at the ongoing T20 World Cup, handling pressure was touted as India’s biggest challenge. Not just because of the brand of cricket they have played since the culmination of the last edition, which has seen them prioritise a devil-may-care approach, often to overwhelming success, but also because this is, more or less, a home World Cup. And a World Cup that, with all due respect to the other sides, felt India’s to lose.

Five games in, it does seem like India are feeling the pinch. And none seem to be feeling it more than Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma, both of who began the tournament in the top five of the ICC T20I batting rankings.

That alone indicates how superb the pair have been. In Abhishek's case, it even prompted captain Suryakumar Yadav to proclaim that the rest of the batting line-up needed to cover for Abhishek’s sudden loss of form because he had done so for almost the entirety of the run-in.

And while these five matches, in a batting sense, have only reiterated India's reliance on Abhishek, it has not been a good look for one of the world’s premier T20 openers either, with his inability to withstand the pressure South Africa were putting, particularly sticking out on Sunday.

Abhishek and Tilak's form will be crucial for India going forward. Image: Reuters

Abhishek and Tilak's form dips simultaneously

Batting, earlier in the evening, did get easier once the powerplay got over. So, India had reason to ride out the Protean storm. Abhishek, though, kept swinging like a rusty gate and ultimately perished, failing to pick a Marco Jansen slower delivery. If pressure has clouded his judgement, or pre-occupied him to such an extent that he is no longer watching the ball closely, is a question only he will be able to answer.

India’s batting unit has also not clicked cohesively. And it is not a surprise that that has coincided with Tilak - often the link between India's free-spirited stroke-makers and their powerful middle order - looking rusty.

In the group stage, a case could be made that he was dealt a tough hand: walking in to prevent collapses, or having to rein in his natural game to ensure there wouldn't be one. India also played on some sluggish tracks. But a batter of Tilak's ability and class should ideally not be huffing and puffing for so long.

And his dismissal against South Africa, which came about as he hared down to Jansen's first ball, only highlighted the urge to break free of the shackles, rather than absorbing pressure and backing himself to cash in later. That, in many ways, is a metaphor for India's batting line-up. Albeit a comparison they would have wanted to veer away from.

Abhishek and Tilak, of course, have the body of work to say this is just a blip. A roadblock that they have encountered. Although it might unnerve India that two of their best batters have hit a submerged log almost simultaneously. But in any case, these are the batters India have placed their trust in more than most. And it does make sense for India to not get drawn into any knee-jerk reactions.

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Abhishek and Tilak's rise will help India

It will, however, also help if Abhishek and Tilak return to their Asia Cup ways, where they treated pressure as a barometer of their growth and stature, rather than a foe that constantly weighs them down, and forces them to do things they would otherwise not indulge in.

That is, after all, what pressure is designed to do. And if Abhishek and Tilak want to truly put their name up in lights, and add the world-class layer their talent perhaps warrants, they must find a way around it.

Because if they do, chances are that India will as well.