Why is Abhishek Sharma Failing in Recent T20 World Cup 2026 Matches?

Abhishek Sharma recorded his third duck of the 2026 T20 World Cup, which has negatively impacted his performance. He failed to score in India's last Group A match against the Netherlands on Wednesday, February 18, in Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium. The southpaw's international career has gotten off to a great start. He has a strike rate of over 190 and an average of above 35 in 40 T20Is. He was named Player of the Tournament and was a key contributor to India's victory in the 2025 Asia Cup.

When India decided to bat first, Aryan Dutt took his wicket in the opening over. In addition to recording his fifth T20I duck of the year, the left-handed Abhishek tied the regrettable record held by Sanju Samson for the most ducks by an Indian batsman in a single calendar year. He has only faced seven balls in this event thus far, and he has yet to score his maiden run and establish himself.

T20 World Cup 2026 Matches:

Not a run in the World Cup so far for Abhishek Sharma... pic.twitter.com/ipzw11Mfc5

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 18, 2026

Abhishek was anticipated to be a vital member of the top order in the T20 World Cup. The Punjab batsman hasn't opened his account in three games, though. In the three games, there hasn't been a trend in his dismissals. Abhishek attempted to hit Ali Khan for a maximum in the opening ball of his batting during the first match against the USA. But even though he hit the ball quite sharply, he was able to identify the fielder at deep cover.

Before entering the Super 8s, Abhishek would have liked to get some runs against the Netherlands on Wednesday, February 18. But the ball slipped between bat and pad and messed up the stumps when he attempted to flick off-spinner Aryan Dutt onto the leg side. The great Sunil Gavaskar advised Abhishek to score the first run and get off the mark before attempting the expansive strokes prior to the Netherlands match. But the latter persisted in his too forceful strategy, and it backfired.

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