India’s hard-hitting opener Abhishek Sharma has not been in form of late. He managed to score just 11 runs in the recently-concluded series against Zimbabwe and hasn't crossed the 20-run mark in the last six innings. On July 26, after India completed 3-0 cleansweep against Zimbabwe, Abhishek took to social media and expressed his disappointment on not being able to contribute with the bat. He got support from his former captain Suryakumar Yadav as well.
“It hurts when you can’t give back what so many people believe you’re capable of. But this game always rewards those who keep showing up. Happy that the team got the win. Will be back stronger,” Abhishek wrote on Instagram.
Suryakumar lauded Abhishek for what he has done in the last two years. He expects the opener to regain his form.
“You have given so many reasons to smile for 2 years in a row boyyyy. Given glory to INDIA when it mattered the most. Matter of time. Be yourself,” Suryakumar commented with #fearless.
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Abhishek loses form
On Zimbabwe tour, Abhishek registered scores of 1, 8 and 2. He lost his wicket to Blessing Muzarabani in all three games. In the T20I series against England, he started well with scores of 59 and 43. But, in the last three T20Is in England he couldn't get going and scored 10, 16 and 13 respectively.
His last T20I half-century came on July 1 in the T20I series opener against England. He was dismissed for 40s in the T20I opener against Ireland and the second T20I against England. In the last 10 T20I innings, he has managed to score 191 runs at a strike rate of 166.08.
Abhishek’s run in T20 World Cup 2026
He wasn't in best of forms in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 as well. He struggled against off-spin. From eight innings, he scored 141 runs, averaging 17.62 and scoring at 158.42. After three consecutive ducks, he scored a half-century against Zimbabwe. He was dismissed cheaply in must-win game against West Indies and the semifinal against England. In the final, he came good with a half-century.
Abhishek’s numbers in 2025 vs 2026
In the year 2026, Abhishek has scored 514 runs from 23 innings, averaging 23.36 at a strike rate of 185.55. He has five T20I fifties this year.
In the previous year, he was in top form with 859 runs from 21 innings, averaging 42.95 and striking at 193.46, including a ton and five half-centuries.
Abhishek vs Samson
While Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has proved his mettle with 191 runs in the series against Zimbabwe, Sanju Samson is waiting for his chance. Samson wasn’t picked for Zimbabwe series and was benched for three games in England as well. Considering the amount of left-handers in the side, Samson will be pushing for a spot alongside Sooryavanshi.
When will Abhishek be next in action?
Abhishek is India’s squad for the Asian Games 2026. Before the Asian Games action in Japan, it isn’t clear whether there will be a T20I series against Afghanistan or Zimbabwe. An official word is awaited.