Abhishek Sharma torrid run in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 continued as the young opener joined an unwanted list of players dismissed for a duck in their first two appearances of the tournament. His most recent setback occurred during high-stakes clash against Pakistan, where he fell for a four-ball duck to opposition captain Salman Agha.
Abhishek Sharma record another duck in T20 World Cup 2026
The dismissal came after Agha unleashed a flat delivery that slid toward the stumps; Abhishek attempted to pull the ball but miscued the stroke, sending it directly to Shaheen Afridi at mid-on. This follow-up failure is particularly stinging as it mirrors his golden duck against the USA in India's tournament opener.
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Abhishek joins Ashish Nehra, Imrul Kayes' in unwanted club
By failing to score in his first two World Cup outings, Abhishek now finds himself alongside former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra and Bangladesh’s Imrul Kayes—the only other players from Full Member nations to share this unfortunate distinction. Notably, neither Nehra nor Kayes ever managed to score a run throughout their entire World Cup careers, a trajectory the current world No. 1 T20I batter will be desperate to avoid.
His recent international form has taken a dramatic 'boom-or-bust' turn, characterized by extreme inconsistency. Over his last six T20I innings, Abhishek has recorded four ducks, with his scores reading a volatile 0, 0, 30, 0, 68*, and 0. While his explosive potential remains clear, this current slump has left India's top order under immense pressure at a critical stage of the tournament.
However, despite Abhishek's patchy show, India posted a challenging total of 175/7, thanks to Ishan Kishan's blistering 40-ball 77.
India's No-handshake policy against Pakistan still intact
The 2026 T20 World Cup clash in Colombo saw a continuation of the tense diplomatic standoff between India and Pakistan, as captains Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha once again refrained from shaking hands at the toss. The two leaders maintained a noticeable distance and avoided eye contact throughout the pre-match formalities. After Agha won the toss and elected to bowl, he immediately departed to join his team, bypassing the customary sporting gesture.