Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has urged Indian opener Abhishek Sharma to leave the mid-wicket area and try to score his runs in the V in the ongoing T20 World Cup. While India registered a 17-run win against the Dutch at Ahmedabad on Wednesday, Abhishek Sharma continued his worrisome form.

Sharma was dismissed for his third consecutive duck in the tournament as he was bowled by the Netherlands off-spinner Aryan Dutt. Earlier, the left-hander was dismissed for a golden duck against the USA and also dismissed without troubling the scorers against Pakistan.

Harbhajan has backed Abhishek to soon find his form in the ongoing T20I showpiece.

“When you go through something like this, a lot of things run through your mind. I have a small message for Abhishek. I would advise him to believe in his abilities and this too shall pass. I am sure that the day his bat speaks, it will speak rightly. We are all waiting, and we hope that he comes to form in that big match against South Africa,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.

“I would also advise him to leave that midwicket area for a while now, and look to play straight. Once he scores 1-2 runs and then he gets some shots out, then he will get his confidence back, and also his form. South Africa might also look to bring an off-spinner straightaway, but it does not matter. All of this will go away soon,” he added.

Ahead of the T20 World Cup, Abhishek had scored 182 runs in five matches against New Zealand at a blistering strike rate of almost 250.

India will take on South Africa in their opening game of the Super 8 stage at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday.