Former Indian Test opener Sadagopan Ramesh has slammed the batting duo of Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma for their indifferent form in the ongoing T20 World Cup. While Abhishek was dismissed for 15 runs against South Africa at Ahmedabad on Sunday, Varma could only manage a solitary run.

Ramesh said there is different pressure in the World Cup and the batting pair must handle it better. Sharma has managed only 15 runs in the T20I showpiece, including three ducks in the group stage. 

On the other hand, Varma has managed 107 runs in five matches of the World Cup at an average of 21.40 and a strike rate of 118.88. The left-hander wasn’t able to convert his starts into substantial scores in the group stage.

Ramesh said on Instagram handle, “Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma must understand one thing. Until now, they’ve seen only a garden, but a World Cup is a forest. Here, you will either hunt or get hunted. The pressure is completely different, and they must handle it better.”

The former flamboyant batter said the ongoing World Cup is going to show if the transition from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli has successfully happened in T20I cricket.

“Many said the transition has happened from Rohit and Virat following their retirements. But I always felt this World Cup would show if the transition had successfully happened. Try telling Virat and Rohit’s names to opponents even as they are not playing now, and those teams will sweat,” said Ramesh (via the aforementioned source).

India will next take on Zimbabwe at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on Thursday.