Abhishek Sharma will have an amazing innings somewhere in this World Cup: Faf du Plessis

Former South African captain Faf du Plessis has backed the dashing Indian opener Abhishek Sharma to have an amazing innings somewhere in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign.

Notably, Abhishek Sharma suffered three consecutive ducks in the group stage against the USA, Pakistan, and the Netherlands, respectively. In the Super8 clash against South Africa, he managed to score a 12-ball 15-run knock before getting out on a slower delivery.

Speaking exclusively on ESPNcricinfo, Faf du Plessis has delved into the technical details of Sharma’s innings of late, adding that the bowlers are aiming to take the pace off the ball to counter his beautiful bat swing. 

"Tactically, the game has got so smart with analysts and the way that they are trying to get you out. What I have picked up of late with Abhishek is people are now putting a deep point out and a deep extra cover out because he is so good at hitting the ball through the offside," Faf du Plessis said on ESPNcricinfo Timeout.

"The other thing I have picked up is that teams are bowling a lot of slower balls at him, and it is because he has such a beautiful swing. What you are trying to do with guys that have such a long swing is you are trying to take pace off the ball. So once again, his decision is, how do I counter guys when they are bowling it slow?" he said.

"For me, what I try to do when guys are bowling slower balls at me, I either try to come down the wicket because you want to generate pace to hit the ball, or you try to hang back and set for that slower ball so that your hands are never in front of you. I am not going to try to talk to Abhishek about batting. You know exactly what to do, but I can see teams are bowling a lot of slower balls at him," he added.

Furthermore, the former South African batter has advised Sharma not to bother about the opinions shared by the former cricketers, adding that he doesn’t have to worry about defence as he has got so many attacking options. 

"He has been unbelievable the last two-three years in the IPL. He whacks bowling attacks all over the ground. He is the newer generation of T20 cricketer who doesn't actually have to worry about defence. He has got so many attacking options. The key for him now is, how do you keep the noise out? How do you make sure you focus on your strengths, your game, and keep your mind as clear as possible? Because there is a lot of noise going on when a player is in this state. I have got no doubt, give him a couple more innings, the youngster will come through, and he will have an amazing innings somewhere in this World Cup," he concluded.

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