India opener batsman Abhishek Sharma in T20 World Cup is going through a major slump in form. He has failed to arrest his slide in four appearances, which has impacted the team in getting off to a positive start. Sharma was dismissed for a duck in three group games against the USA, Pakistan, and the Netherlands, which resulted in him losing confidence in his hitting abilities. During the first Super 8 outing against South Africa, he looked out of rhythm and was dismissed for 15 off 12 balls. Let’s take a detailed look at key issues surrounding Abhishek Sharma’s recent form amid the global event.
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Challenges Faced by Abhishek Sharma in T20 World Cup
Heading into the 2026 T20 World Cup as India’s most important batter, Abhishek Sharma has had a worse-than-expected start to the tournament. Despite scoring 180+ runs in the New Zealand series ahead of the World Cup, the southpaw returned with two ducks as well. The series highlighted his inconsistency due to his choice of playing high-risk cricket.
The mindset and the technique have been a major drag for the India opener batsman in the ongoing ICC event. His penchant for trying to hit boundaries in pursuit of getting off the mark has affected his playing style and the Men in Blue’s approach in the power play. Two of Sharma’s dismissals have come against the off-spinners. His foot movement against Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha in the first over was out of place, as he struggled to get enough room to play across the line.
Not a run in the World Cup so far for Abhishek Sharma… pic.twitter.com/ipzw11Mfc5
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 18, 2026
Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma in T20 World Cup fixture against the Netherlands saw him getting cramped with the back-of-length delivery of Aryan Dutt. In his attempt to swing the willow harder, the left-hander missed the line as the ball went through his gates. The dismissals against the pacers of the USA and South Africa were also noteworthy, as they affected Abhishek Sharma’s recent form. He failed to clear the fence against the USA’s Ali Khan, while Marco Jansen induced a false shot and caught him with his slower ball in the India-South Africa game.
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Sharma generally gets into an uncomfortable position when he is not allowed enough room to free his arms and play his natural game. He has a knack for going down the track and driving the ball towards the offside. Meanwhile, he has not played enough balls to make use of the short balls offered by the pacers to send the ball towards the square leg region, which he has done well so far in his career.
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The shot selection to certain balls has impacted how Abhishek Sharma is approaching the pacers as well as the spinners in the powerplay. He has not adjusted to the bowlers’ line lengths and prefers to play across the line, while not opting to take an aerial route in the straight boundaries.
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Moreover, the 25-year-old suffered from a serious stomach infection and was hospitalised earlier this month. Due to this reason, he missed the Namibia game, and Sanju Samson replaced him in the XI. To sum it up, the questionable technique, dismal footwork, unadaptability, and bad health have resulted in Abhishek Sharma scoring only 15 runs in four appearances in the 2026 T20 World Cup.
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How Could Abhishek Sharma’s Bad Form Affect India?
While setting up a big target or chasing down a high score, the opening partnership is crucial for a team in the shortest format. They are expected to provide a fiery start of 50+ runs in the powerplay, which has not been a regular fixture for the Indian team in the 2026 T20 World Cup.
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The blueprint of the Indian T20I team in the last two years, since the debut of Abhishek Sharma, has been to go hard in the powerplay. However, his bad form has resulted in the rest of the batters getting under pressure for increasing the tempo in the powerplay as well as the middle overs.
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The onus has been on Ishan Kishan, who has managed to play with a good strike rate, while Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma have struggled to score enough boundaries in the middle overs. After the South Africa game, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate opined that the food poisoning had affected the India opener batsman’s confidence and progress.
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According to him, they want Abhishek Sharma in T20 World Cup to be confident in his game plan and score runs freely. Hence, they are working with him in the nets on how he can improve himself ahead of the next Super 8 game. Meanwhile, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak feels it’s not possible to change the batter’s technique in such a short span of two-three days, which will put more doubts on him. In high-risk, high-reward situations, they are ready for anything that is bound to happen in the field.
Conclusion
Abhishek Sharma’s recent form has certainly triggered India’s collapse in the powerplay. However, the opener needs to be patient in getting his rhythm back and help the Men in Blue fare safely in the powerplay in order to win the next four games to win the World Cup.
