It is not often that the World’s No. 1-ranked batter just fails to perform. Failure after failure, Abhishek Sharma has just continued to frustrate the Indian cricket fans, who thought that their star boy would light up the T20 World Cup 2026. Starting the tournament with three consecutive ducks, Abhishek found some runs under his belt but once again failed in the semi-final against England.
Diffident Abhishek Sharma, a sight of worry
Abhishek managed just nine runs off seven balls before he was caught by Phil Salt off Will Jacks while trying to clear the field. Abhishek was beaten in flight as the ball straight to the mid-wicket fielder. In any other day, Abhishek would’ve sent it down the ground towards the sight screen. But he is massively short on confidence.
It was another frustrating outing for the aggressive opener. In this tournament, Abhishek’s scores read 0, 0, 0, 15, 55 and 10. His only notable contribution came against Zimbabwe, where he scored a half-century. Apart from that knock, he has looked short on confidence and timing at the crease. He averages 12.71 right now.
Interestingly, off-spin has repeatedly troubled him during the campaign. Aryan Dutt dismissed him in the group stage, Salman Ali Agha got him out earlier as well, and now Jacks has added his name to that list.
Harbhajan backs Abhishek despite poor run
Despite the underwhelming numbers, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh believes dropping Abhishek ahead of the final would be the wrong move. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan urged the team management to stick with the youngster and give him the chance to bounce back on the biggest stage.
“I don’t think he will be benched by the team, and even I don’t think he should sit out either. Because this is the time to back a player. Yes, we accept that he has not done much so far, and he has not met the expectations. But how is he going to come out of the shell now? He can only do that when he plays. If you bench him, his heart will sink,” Harbhajan Singh said.
There were discussions about possible changes in India’s batting order, especially with Sanju Samson in excellent form. Samson’s match-winning 97 against West Indies earlier in the tournament showed how dangerous India’s top order can be when things click. Some have even suggested bringing in Rinku Singh to strengthen the middle order while pushing Ishan Kishan up the order alongside Samson.
However, the Indian management has fully backed Abhishek despite his lean form. It must be noted that Abhishek’s health wasn’t great earlier in the tournament. That could’ve played a part. He is just too good a player to be dropped in a must-win encounter.
