The Indian opener has not fired for India in the T20 World Cup 2026 yet, and it has dented India's chances.
After being unbeaten in the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2026, the Indians were looking to double it up in the Super 8s. Except the fact that they were completely outplayed by the South Africans in their opening fixture of the Super 8s. And it all came down to Abhishek Sharma and his recent failures.
The dazzling Indian opener quickly made a name for himself in the shortest format of the game, by taking the bowlers to the cleaners. Walk in, smash 15-ball fifties and leave the spectators jaw-dropped – was what Abhishek Sharma did until the start of the T20 World Cup 2026, in which he has completely looked a different batter.
In four outings of the tournament so far, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) stylish opener has garnered three ducks to his name. He got off to a start against the Proteas in his fourth fixture, but could not capitalise on it. Former India legend Sunil Gavaskar weighed in on Abhishek Sharma’s batting style, and expressed that the youngster needs to take a bit of time in the middle.
“With his shot range, he needs to spend time in the middle. He cannot try to hit a boundary or a six on the first ball of his innings. If the big shots come, fine. But he shouldn’t force himself to play the big shot across the line. Take a single and get off the mark. Even four dot balls don’t matter. He can make up for them later,’ said Sunil Gavaskar after the game.
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All of a sudden, the Men in Blue seem extremely vulnerable on pitches that have something in them for the bowlers. Abhishek Sharma not getting through with blazing starts might just be the tip of the iceberg for the hosts. The SRH opener has an average of 3.75 in the tournament so far, which is far less than what is expected out of him.
The approach that India have vouched on requires them to go bonkers from ball one, and that is exactly what they have been doing since a long time. But skipper Suryakumar Yadav voiced in the pre-match press conference that it was important to stay level headed and play the situation of the game.
However, the hosts were completely outplayed by the Proteas in all departments of the game in Ahmedabad. The likes of Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi bowled slower balls too perfection, which did not let the Indian batters get away with easy runs.
To add to that, this is not the first time that the Indians have been pushed on the backfoot on wickets that are slower in nature. The South Africans read the wicket brilliantly, and bowled according to their plans. The short boundaries were on the straighter side, and hence they made sure that their slower deliveries were pitched half-way down the pitch – making the Indians target the longer boundaries.
Abhishek Sharma and the Indians have a tough road ahead, if they are to get anywhere near to the semi-final spot. Additionally, despite winning both games now, their fate will depend on a few other matches. But all in all, their concerns lie much beyond the form of Abhishek Sharma, which in itself is a big concern for the Indians.
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