Abhishek Sharma had a horror night when India took on West Indies in a must-win Super 8 clash at the 2026 FIFA World Cup T20 on Sunday, March 1 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The left-hander’s struggles in the tournament continued and contributed to a largely disappointing campaign. He started the competition with three consecutive ducks and apart from a solitary half-century against Zimbabwe, he was nowhere near his best.
In the virtual quarter-final against West Indies, Abhishek appeared completely out of sorts. He took two crucial catches in the field which proved costly for India and then failed to hit with the bat. His scrappy 10 off 12 balls ended when he was dismissed by left-armer Akeal Hosein to cap off a memorable outing under the Eden lights.
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HOW ABHISHEK FIGHTED IN THE FIELD
Abhishek endured a tough evening in the field after India opted to bowl first at the Eden Gardens. The youngster had an early opportunity to assert himself, but he did not keep a direct chance. Roston Chase, opening the batting for the first time in international cricket, dropped a slower delivery from Jasprit Bumrah high towards extra cover.
Abhishek tracked back, settled under and got both hands to the ball, but the keeper spilled, leaving the Indian ground visibly disappointed. Bumrah, characteristically calm, did not react as he returned to his mark.
The delay proved costly. Cashing in on the lifeline, Chase top-scored for West Indies with a blistering 40 off 25 balls, hitting five fours and a six.
Abhishek’s struggles continued in the penultimate over as he grabbed another chance and this time offered a lifeline to Rovman Powell before Arshdeep Singh was unlucky not to get a wicket.
Running in from deep mid-wicket, Abhishek lunged forward but couldn’t hold on as the ball popped on impact on the turf, complicating a memorable night on the field.
ABHISHEK DOESN’T MISS WITH THE BAT
Abhishek’s stay at the crease was scratchy from the start. Right from the first ball, Hosein threw one on the leg stump and Abhishek could only push it back gently. He found a boundary soon after, carving a wide delivery over another cover for four, but the fluency was fleeting. Hosein kept changing his pace and length and Abhishek struggled to control, missing the outside off attempt and failing to clear the infield.
Against the pace of Matthew Forde, the discomfort was more evident. After pulling one short ball for four, he was rushed by a sharp delivery that hit his helmet as he attempted another pull, forcing a brief concussion check. The timing just wasn’t there.
The pressure mounted and in the third over, Abhishek pulled an ambitious length ball from Hosein. He failed at mid off and offered a simple catch to Shimron Hetmyer at deep square leg.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
1 March 2026 10:00 PM IST
