'Social media hata abhi ke abhi' - Abhishek Sharma reveals advice from seniors after three ducks in T20 World Cup 2026

Opening batter Abhishek Sharma started his T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with three consecutive zeroes in as many innings. Following the dismal outings, the cricketer had been at the receiving end of immense flak from fans on social media and cricket pundits alike. However, Abhishek has revealed that the advice from his seniors and fellow teammates helped him ignore the outside noise and focus on his game.

Abhishek was okay with getting criticism but also agreed that one does feel bad about it since the expectations are set. The Amritsar-born player said that after his string of ducks in the tournament, captain Suryakumar Yadav, senior all-rounder Hardik Pandya and head coach Gautam Gambhir advised him to delete all the social media platforms from his mobile.

“Slowly you get used to it. But it does feel bad (when there is criticism). That is going to happen in India because people have a lot of expectations from you. After I scored three ducks, Surya, GG sir and Hardik Pandya came to me and said, ‘Phone pakad, social media hata abhi ke abhi [take your phone and uninstall social media right now]'," Abhishek said during the India Today Conclave.

Abhishek rightfully followed the advice and said that it eventually helped him deliver the goods for the Indian team in the latter stages of the twenty-team tournament.

“That was the first thing I did after my second zero. That actually helped me a bit. I was getting a lot of suggestions and comments from people. That’s how a cricketer’s life is. You have to listen and you will be criticised. All you can do is listen and ignore. That is because they have a lot of expectations from you. Sometimes you deliver, and sometimes you don’t. I expected this,” the cricketer added.

The start may have been a rather disappointing one for the southpaw, but he delivered when it mattered the most. Abhishek came all guns blazing during the grand finale of the marquee tournament, scoring a blistering 52 off just 21 balls, which eventually helped the Men in Blue set and defend a total of 255-5 in 20 overs at the Narendra Modi Stadium on March 08 to lift their third T20 World Cup title.