Ravichandran Ashwin isn’t pleased with Abhishek Sharma’s approach. The Indian opener’s struggles continued in the 2026 T20 World Cup semi-final against England. He didn’t look fluent and was dismissed by a spinner in the powerplay once again.
It isn’t the lack of scoring that Ashwin is concerned about. Rather, the way he went about his innings. The former Indian spinner felt that Abhishek hasn’t been planning well. His approach just seems to be hit harder, instead of playing smarter.
Abhishek Sharma’s batting plan questioned
England had placed just one fielder on the leg side, and Abhishek found the man perfectly. Knowing he’s struggling, ideally, he should’ve allowed Sanju Samson, who’s in form, to take the lead, but all he wanted to do was attack.
“In the semi-final against England, I think it was headless batting from him. I am a big fan of his gameplay. He scored 8 runs against Will Jacks, but he intended to score 30 runs against him in the over. Sometimes, you have to leave the ball. Sanju Samson was going so well at the other end, so you just need to take the single and get to the other end. You will get that one over where you will tee off,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.
How management can help him
Prior to the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand, Ashwin wants the head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav to have a chat with Abhishek. He doesn’t want them to drop him for the final showdown in Ahmedabad, but rather instill confidence and tell him not to hit the ball as hard as he can; instead, try to time it.
“Abhishek Sharma has that ‘it’ factor. In the series against New Zealand, he was in top form. He has batted well against Mitchell Santner and Matt Henry in the past. So, I wouldn’t be too fussed about Abhishek. But I would like to have a conversation with him. I would tell him, ‘Listen, there’s a plan against you.’ So don’t try hard to hit the ball.”
“He is a damn good talent, but I just want to know what sort of conversations are being had with him. Is he coming under too much pressure? If you give him more pressure, then he will look to hit the ball harder. He is a fluent player who relies on timing. You have to keep him in a good mental space, and I will continue with him,” Ashwin added.
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