India’s hard-hitting opener Abhishek Sharma has been struggling in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Abhishek was expected to be one of the top run-scorers of the tournament but he has registered three consecutive ducks and missed one game due to stomach issues. As he failed to score a single run in the group stage, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate admitted that it has been a disappointing campaign for the southpaw so far. However, he is impressed with the work put in by the opener and backs him to regain for in the Super 8 stage.
"He batted really well last night in the nets, he spent 90 minutes batting," ten Doeschate said after India's 17-run win against Netherlands on February 18 to continue unbeaten run.
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"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."
Who dismissed Abhishek Sharma in India vs Netherlands game?
In the clash against the Dutch, he was dismissed young off-spinner Aryan Dutt. He went for the pull shot but the new ball skidded through and crashed into the stumps. Abhishek walked in to bat donning Mohammed Siraj's jersey but it did not work for him. Meanwhile, Dutt conceded just 19 runs from his quota of four overs and claimed two wickets. His other scalp of the evening was Ishan Kishan in the powerplay overs as well.
Abhishek Sharma enters Ashish Nehra’s league
Abhishek joined a rare list of batters with most consecutive ducks in T20 World Cups. The first do it was West Indies' Andre Fletcher in the 2009 edition. Then, India's left-arm pacer Ashish Nehra did it across a few editions from 2010 to 2016. In the previous edition, Uganda's Roger Mukasa achieved the unwanted feat.
Abhishek’s next chance
Abhishek will be seen in action when India take on South Africa in the Super 8 clash at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on February 22. The 25-year-old has a decent record against the Proteas. From eight innings, he has scored 200 runs at an average of 25 and strike rate of 196.77. He has a T20I fifty against South Africa as well.