India cricket team batter Abhishek Sharma has once again failed in the T20 World Cup 2026, this time in the high-octane IND vs PAK clash. The explosive Indian opener, who returned to the playing XI after missing out the contest against Namibia, was dismissed in the very first over. Pakistan won the toss and opted to bowl first against India at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday.
Abhishek Sharma flops in IND vs PAK
It took just four deliveries for captain Salman Ali Agha, who opened the bowling for Pakistan in Colombo on Sunday, to get rid of Abhishek without allowing him to open his account. The southpaw was caught out by Shaheen Afridi in what was a soft dismissal. Looks like Agha’s wish to have Sharma play the IND vs PAK clash has paid off as he gets rid of the Indian opener cheaply. Sharma, who is known to go wild in the very first over, has become a victim of his tactics once again.
With the duck on Sunday, Sharma joins head coach Gautam Gambhir and former Indian captain Virat Kohli on the list of most ducks for India in T20 World Cup. All three batters have 2 ducks to their name each.
Sharma has proved former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir right, who had called him a slogger just before the IND vs PAK contest.
“He is a slogger, according to me. A player who doesn’t even know how to defend a ball, how can I consider him a proper batter? He comes and swings his bat and he is managing to get that connection of late… if he performs [in South Africa, England, and New Zealand], I will be the first one to acknowledge that he is a proper batter,” Amir said on Geo TV.
Abhishek, who was under the weather in India’s T20 World Cup 2026 opener against USA, was dismissed for a golden duck in the game. The duck against Pakistan means that the is yet to open his account in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 despite being India’s most explosive batter.
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