India have managed to go through the group stages of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 without getting Abhishek Sharma to score a single run. The World No. 1 batter was touted to set the tournament ablaze. He racked up runs for fun leading into the T20 World Cup and India somewhat relied on his abilities. Fast forward now, the southpaw is wondering how to score even a single.
Law of averages catches up Abhishek Sharma
Abhishek was in prime form leading into the tournament. He never had a dip like the one that he is enduring right now. He had an iffy start to his international debut, scoring 170 runs at 18.88 in his first 10 games. But then, when he needed to fire and the pressure was burning, Abhishek turned his game around.
In the 4-match T20I series against South Africa in November 2024, Abhishek failed in the first two games before getting his game right. He then went on a spree that saw him ascend to the top of the batting ranking in T20Is. In a period of 24 games, he hammered 1029 runs at a strike rate of almost 200 and at an average of 45.
Abhishek Sharma’s T20I career
| Period | Inns | Runs | HS | Ave | SR | 100 | 50 | 0 | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First 10 games | 9 | 170 | 100 | 18.88 | 160.37 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 10 |
| Peak Period | 24 | 1029 | 135 | 44.73 | 197.12 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 95 | 71 |
| Last 7 games | 7 | 98 | 68* | 16.33 | 213.04 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 7 |
However, the oppositions have started to bowl more on his stumps, denying Abhishek the room to free his arms. The law of averages have caught up to him, with Abhishek scoring five ducks in his last seven innings. India’s opening conundrum always circled around Sanju Samson, who endured a major dip since 2025. However, Abhishek’s poor form has come at a wrong time, with India now entering the Super Eight stages. India face South Africa, Zimbabwe and the West Indies in their group.
| Year | Inns | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 100s | 50s | 0s | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 21 | 859 | 135 | 42.95 | 193.46 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 85 | 54 |
| 2026 | 8 | 182 | 84 | 26.00 | 224.69 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 15 |
Can Sanju Samson replace Abhishek?
Sanju Samson fans may target Abhishek Sharma’s awful form. Abhishek is struggling to find a single run. However, Team India won’t replace him considering his incredible upside. Abhishek isn’t out of form but out of runs. Currently, Mohammed Amir’s ‘slogger’ take on him may look correct but the fact that Abhishek’s golden run was spread across 25 matches just shows he isn’t a lucky guy who whacks everything.
Samson has made some incredible tweaks to his game. His back and across movement have restricted his game so much that he hardly plays a longer knock. In 2026, Samson has scored 68 runs at 11.33 across six innings. The main difference between Abhishek and Samson has been the way they are getting out. It seems more like luck with Abhishek and not like a technical deficiency like Samson.
India back Abhishek
When asked about Abhishek’s hat-trick of ducks, India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate asserted that the team is waiting for him to fight back. He also alluded the fact that Abhishek’s preparations were halted due to the stomach infection. He missed the Delhi game against Namibia as he spent some time in the hospital as well.
“He batted really well last night in the nets, he spent 90 minutes batting,” ten Doeschate said after India’s 17-run win over Netherlands on Wednesday. “You also have to give him a bit of space. He came into the group phase not feeling too well, he spent a few days in the hospital and missed the game [against Namibia]. It’s been a very disappointing tournament for him so far. But I saw some really good signs with his ball striking last night. So no worries about him, he’ll be fine when the second phase comes.”
Listing to the Indian assistant coach’s comments, you just know that India would back Abhishek to the fullest. There’s a reason why Abhishek is the World No. 1 batter. He has the game to take India ahead within the powerplay overs. There’s no clear flaw in his game. May be the southpaw is saving his best for the knockouts!
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