The murmurs of concern have now turned into open criticism, but India are unlikely to drop Abhishek Sharma for the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand, sticking to their usual approach of not tinkering with a winning combination.

The tournament has, in many ways, flipped the story around India’s opening pair.

At the start, Abhishek was expected to be the key batter at the top while doubts surrounded Sanju Samson’s place. Many felt the tournament could decide Samson’s future in the national side.

That picture has changed since the must-win Super Eight game against West Indies. Samson’s steady performances have quietened much of the criticism, while the focus has shifted to Abhishek’s struggles.

If Samson’s form dominated conversations early on, Abhishek’s run of low scores has taken centre stage in the knockout phase. The left-handed opener has found it hard to get going, recording scores of 0, 0, 0, 15, 10 and 9 in his last six innings.

Apart from a half-century against Zimbabwe, he has not produced the kind of impact many expected from him. Even so, the Indian team management does not appear keen on making a late change with the final set to be played on Sunday in Ahmedabad.

"We are taking care of all our players. GG bhai and Surya have a lot of faith and confidence in Abhishek," his opening partner Samson said after the England game. Abhishek’s dip in form also came during a physically difficult phase.

After the league match in Mumbai, he was hit by a stomach infection and had to be hospitalised. The illness led to noticeable weight loss and disrupted his rhythm at a crucial stage of the tournament.

Opposition teams have also worked out a plan against him. Captains have introduced spin early, particularly off-spinners and left-arm orthodox bowlers, denying him the pace he usually likes early in the innings.

His dismissals have followed a similar pattern. Against Pakistan he tried to attack an off-spinner in the powerplay but mistimed a lofted shot.

Against Netherlands, an off-spinner got him with a quicker ball that angled into him, cramping him for room and forcing another mistimed stroke.

In the semifinal against England, he again went early into the shot against a slower delivery and failed to get the elevation he wanted.

Against spin, Abhishek has often been forced to manufacture strokes, finding it difficult to rotate strike when bowlers take pace off the ball.

Another factor that has come up is the speed of his bat’s downswing. On surfaces where bowlers take pace off, the quick downswing makes it harder to adjust to slower balls. Bowlers have used variations in pace to force him into committing early.

India could have looked at bringing in Rinku Singh, but that would raise questions about the batting order. With the current top and middle-order setup, Rinku could end up batting at No.7 or even No.8, which limits the impact he can make.