Aakash Chopra points out 'misconception' in Abhishek Sharma's batting after India vs West Indies 5th T20I

Abhishek Sharma scored 6 runs off 4 balls before being dismissed in the opening over of the rain-reduced 5th T20I between India and West Indies on October 17, 2026, at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The match was cut to 9 overs per side due to rain, and Abhishek hit a six before being caught by Shamar Joseph at mid-wicket.

India batted 7.4 overs and posted 118 for 5 before rain returned and washed out the match entirely. The series ended in a 2-2 draw between India and West Indies.

Former India batter Aakash Chopra addressed Abhishek's brief and scratchy outing and offered broader context around what he described as a 'misconception' about the young opener's batting.

What did Aakash Chopra say about Abhishek Sharma's series?

Chopra acknowledged that Abhishek had a difficult time in the series by his own high standards. He noted that in the previous game, the opener struggled to find rhythm when he did not receive much strike, and that his overall returns in the series were below what fans have come to expect from him.

"In the last game, when he didn't get much strike, he looked a bit scratchy. He didn't get any rhythm at all, and let's discount whatever happened in this game. So, he was a bit below par by his standards in the series, but that is also going to happen. That is another reality of the brand of cricket you play," Chopra said on JioStar.

Why does Chopra say expecting consistent runs from Abhishek is a 'misconception'?

Chopra placed Abhishek's lean patch in the context of the aggressive, high-risk brand of cricket the left-hander plays. He pointed to the series against Afghanistan, where Abhishek scored a century in one game and 70 in another, as an example of what he is capable of, while also explaining why inconsistency is an inevitable part of batting at a strike rate of 200.

"You will always find that there might be a series, like the one against Afghanistan recently, where he scored a hundred in one game and a 70 in another, but then there will be another series where he would have a soft dismissal in one game, then another soft dismissal, play one good innings, and then get dismissed by a good delivery in another. These things are going to happen. Anyone who plays at a strike rate of 200 is bound to have a few games like these. That he will keep getting runs consistently; that is our misconception," Chopra said.