India’s star batsman Abhishek Sharma received some golden advice from legendary Australian captain Ricky Ponting ahead of India’s semi-final match against England at the T20 World Cup 2026. The Indian opener has endured a poor tournament so far, scoring just 80 runs from six innings.
Abhishek registered three consecutive ducks early in the competition, followed by a laborious 15 off 12 balls against South Africa. However, he eventually rediscovered some rhythm against Zimbabwe, produces a rapid fire 55 out of 30 suppliesonly to fall cheaply once again on 10 off 11 balls against the West Indies.
Amid his slim form, Ponting advised the star batsman not to spend too much time practicing in the nets.
“Sometimes when you’re going through a slump like that, it’s not always the best thing to go to the nets every day and bat for an hour and a half. Sometimes it’s better to give these guys a few days to refresh themselves mentally. The skills don’t go anywhere. You don’t lose your skills,” Ponting said in the ICC Review.
He also mentioned that Abhishek would benefit from almost starving himself to bat and backed him to perform in the semi-finals.
“But in a tournament like this, when you’re constantly and constantly under pressure and the results aren’t coming, sometimes you just have to leave the zip bag, go to practice, bowl a bit, field but not really bat – almost starve to go back to the nets – I think Abhishek has something up his sleeve,” he added ahead of the semi-final.
How did Abhishek perform against England?
Abhishek has an excellent record against England in T20Is, scoring 278 runs from five innings at an average of 55.80 and a strike rate of 219.68, with one century and one half-century to his credit. In his last innings against the Three Lions, he registered the third-fastest T20I century among full-fledged members, reaching the milestone off just 37 balls.
He went on to post the highest T20I score of his career as he played a fighting innings of 135 off 54 deliveries, studded with seven fours and 13 sixes. With the all-important semi-final against England to be played at the same venue in Mumbai, fans will be hoping that Abhishek is back to his best in the upcoming match.
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Issued by:
Rishabh Beniwal
Published on:
March 3, 2026 11:38 PM IST
