World No. 1 in T20I Abhishek Sharma registered his third duck in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. After falling short against USA and Pakistan, Abhishek scored off 3 balls against Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday, February 18. dough.
The left-hander entered the T20 World Cup with huge momentum behind him. Abhishek has been the best batsman in world cricket over the last year and a half and looked ready to smash teams in the global tournament. However, things did not go according to plan. A bout of illness, mixed with clever planning from the opposition parties, has made life difficult for Abhishek and now seems to be affecting him mentally as well.
After Abhishek was dismissed against the Netherlands, he threw his head back and appeared to curse as he walked back to the dugout. Former India batsman Sunil Gavaskar reacted to the knock after the match and said he felt for the youngster. Gavaskar wondered if Abhishek was weighed down by the expectations he had built around him.
“Perhaps the expectation is weighing on him. If he had got off to a flying start in the first match, things might have been different. But now you can see that the expectation of being a top-six batsman and a No.1 batsman is weighing heavily on him,” Gavaskar told Star Sports after the match.
HOW DID ABHISHEK SHARMA GET OUT?
In the middle, Abhishek was bowled by an off-line Aryan Dutt who lunged in a slip that crashed into his stumps. The young man misread the length and instead of advancing forward, he swung back. The ball crept in and rattled the stumps.
Gavaskar did not criticize the batsman for the manner of the dismissal. Instead, he emphasized that Abhishek needs to give himself a bit more time at the crease. Gavaskar said the youngster needs to get some blood in his legs before trying to fire a full range of shots.
“I honestly believe that with the range of shots that he has, he needs to take some time in the middle. He can’t try to open his account with a four or a six. If he gets it, fine. He can’t play across the line and look for that strike. Tap him for a single. Even if there are four dots, he can make up the four balls later. Maybe he needs to play smarter cricket on two or two legs, and then play his strokes,” Gavaskar concluded.
IND vs NED T20 WORLD CUP 2026: UPDATE | SCORECARD
Former cricketer Aakash Chopra also pointed out that Abhishek started playing cross bats at the start of his innings instead of trusting his power to hit the line. Chopra believed that Abhishek needed to back off and continue playing straight, even on surfaces offering moderate grip and cornering.
Abhishek will now get a three-day break ahead of India’s first Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup. The match will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The lack of travel could help Abhishek recover better and settle back into his rhythm.
T20 World Cup | T20 World Cup Schedule | T20 World Cup Points Table | T20 World Cup Videos | Cricket News | Live Score
– The end
Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
February 19, 2026