Why Abhishek Sharma is struggling in recent matches?
Abhishek Sharma entered the 2026 T20 World Cup as the top-ranked batter in the format as per the ICC rankings. However, his back is against the wall after registering three consecutive ducks.
Abhishek Sharma entered the 2026 T20 World Cup as the top-ranked batter in the format as per the ICC rankings. However, the southpaw has had a forgettable time in the first three games and would be desperate to bounce back strongly in the Super 8s.
The southpaw has had a fantastic start to his international career. In 40 T20Is, he is averaging above 35 and has a strike rate in excess of 190. He played an instrumental role in India's triumph in the 2025 Asia Cup and won the Player of the Tournament award.
In the T20 World Cup, Abhishek was expected to play a key role at the top of the order. However, the Punjab batter has failed to open his account in three matches. There hasn't been a pattern to his dismissals in the three games.
In the first game against the USA, Abhishek tried to hit Ali Khan for a maximum in the first ball of his innings. However, he picked out the fielder at deep cover despite striking the ball quite crisply.
Abhishek didn't play the game against Namibia as he was recovering from a stomach bug. However, he returned to the playing XI for the big game against Pakistan. Salman Ali Agha opened the bowling for Pakistan and got Abhishek caught at mid-on. The 25-year-old got the ball off the splice of the bat and had no power on the shot.
On Wednesday, February 18, Abhishek would have hoped to get some runs under his belt against the Netherlands before heading into the Super 8s. However, he tried to pull off-spinner Aryan Dutt onto the leg side but the ball sneaked between bat and pad and made a mess of the stumps.
Ahead of the Netherlands game, the legendary Sunil Gavaskar suggested that Abhishek should knock the first run and get off the mark before going for the expansive shots. However, the latter continued his ultra-aggressive approach, and it backfired.
"That's three in a row! Cruel game this sometimes. Chin up lad," former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said in a tweet after Abhishek's dismissal against the Dutch side.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra, on the other hand, opined that Abhishek has not picked the length of the deliveries correctly and advised him to play with a straighter bat at the start of his innings, adding that it had brought him surreal success in the past.
"I won't tell him not to play his shots as if he doesn't he won't remain Abhishek Sharma. The only thing I would suggest is that he should play with a straight bat at the start of his innings as he has done so well when he has followed that method," Chopra stated.
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19At the end of the day, every cricketer has gone through rough patches where they have struggled to even buy a run. This might be happening for the first time to Abhishek at the international level. This is where head coach Gautam Gambhir needs to step in and put his arm around the youngster and share his experiences of how he dealt with such situations during his illustrious career. It won't be a bad idea for Abhishek to give a call to his mentor Yuvraj Singh who made a name for himself after making several memorable comebacks.
T20 World Cup 2026: India vs Netherlands Highlights
There is no doubt about Abhishek's quality. One good knock can change things around, and he might still finish the tournament with the most runs and even win the Player of the Tournament award. However, Indian fans will want him to fire sooner rather than later as the games are going to get tougher from here.
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