India’s Abhishek Sharma plays a strike during the T20 World Cup cricket match between India and the West Indies in Kolkata, India, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo) Abhishek Sharma’s form has come under scrutiny ahead of India’s T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final against England, with former cricketers Manoj Tiwary and Irfan Pathan raising concerns about his approach and technique. The opener struggled with consistency in the tournament and failed to make an impact in the Super 8 match against West Indies.Abhishek has scored 80 runs in six matches so far, including one half-century against Zimbabwe. He registered three consecutive ducks against USA, Pakistan and Netherlands before making 15 off 12 balls against South Africa. In the must-win Super 8 match against West Indies, he was dismissed for 10 off 11 balls and also dropped two catches.
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Speaking to Cricbuzz, Tiwary criticized Abhishek’s approach to the crease.“If you don’t put a price on your wicket, then you will play free shots like this,” Tiwary said.“Abhishek has already become a star in such a short time, but if he wants to be a superstar, he has to win matches for the team. There is so much competition, so many match winners, so he has to be ahead of them,” he added. “It was a good opportunity for him today (against West Indies on Sunday). He dropped two catches as well. He has to develop the mindset of deciding which balls to go for and which not to,” Tiwary further said.Irfan Pathan also spoke about the technical aspect of Abhishek’s batting and suggested changes.“One concern is Abhishek Sharma’s form again. After scoring a fifty I felt he would continue to run but when he went for that shot his back knee was too bent and his body weight was falling backwards.”“Ideally more weight should be on the front foot because it suits him better. He will have to pay attention to that,” Pathan said on his YouTube channel.India are scheduled to face England in the second semi-final in Mumbai on March 5.
