Abhishek Sharma is in serious danger of losing his place in the middle of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 after another shocking failure against the Netherlands. India remained unbeaten with a 17-run win over the Netherlands as they stormed into the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup 2026.
Ravichandran Ashwin urges patience amid Abhishek Sharma’s drop talks
But while the defending champions are flying high, Abhishek Sharma’s form is crashing badly. The young Indian opener has now scored three ducks in a row in the tournament. Despite this poor run, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin does not believe panic is needed.
He feels three failures do not suddenly make Abhishek Sharma a weak batter, saying he can destroy any bowling attack inside the powerplay if he clicks. Ashwin also pointed out a clear pattern.
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Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube channel ‘Ash ki Baat’: “It is not a technical glitch. Abhishek used to play like this always. But this can play on your head. But I really hope he gets some runs, and he has to come good. He has got three nots on the trot, but that doesn’t change how lethal a batter he is in T20 cricket.”
Ravichandran Ashwin spots a clear pattern in Abhishek’s dismissals
The former all-rounder has noted that the off-spinners are attacking Abhishek early in the innings. They are bowling tight lines and not giving him room to free his arms. He said that the Netherlands off-spinner Aryan Dutt used that plan perfectly and knocked over his stumps with a smart delivery.
Ashwin further explained, “Abhishek clears his front foot and tries to swing. So, an off-spinner bowling has become a trend now. When we played RR vs SRH as well, I bowled 3 consecutive overs and did not go for many. He had to get out but narrowly escaped.
It is becoming a trend. They are trying to bowl tight lines. Because it is closer, it is not in his range. There is space to open his hands, but he has to come around it, but by the time he does, the ball has already gone through.”
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Ashwin voices against the idea of replacing Abhishek Sharma with Sanju Samson
There is also talk about whether Sanju Samson could replace him in the playing XI. But Ashwin believes that dropping Abhishek Sharma right now would be a wrong move. He feels the team should back the left-handed opener because one explosive knock can change everything.
Ashwin signed off by saying, “This is Abhishek’s game. It happens. He was not well either. He has scored runs; it’s not like that. Not like you will remove him from the team now. When he is on song, he wins games for India within the powerplay.”
Abhishek’s struggles are worrying, but he was unwell during the tournament and even missed the Namibia match due to a stomach infection. Before the T20 World Cup 2026, he was in red-hot form against New Zealand, scoring 182 runs in five matches at a strike rate above 240.
