With questions being raised about the poor form of young opener Abhishek Sharma in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 domestically and in Sri Lanka, shocking but unexpected news has emerged from the camp of the Indian national cricket team.
Indian camp shaken by Abhishek Sharma’s injury bomb!
According to a report by News24 journalist Abhishek Sharma, he suffered a hand injury just before the start of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. The left-handed batsman cut his hand during the team photoshoot session before the competition.
The injury required immediate medical attention. It is being said that this boy from Punjab also needed stitches on the cut. Despite the setback, Abhishek did not throw any caution and played India’s opening match against USA despite the injury.
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The journalist also claimed that Abhishek played with either a protective aid or a special dressing on his hand to manage the discomfort.
Big breaking news
Abhishek Sharma got injured just before the start of the T20 World Cup.
He cut his hand during the team photoshoot and played the first match with the injury.
He got some stitches or played with the switcher.
Is this the reason for their downfall? pic.twitter.com/ocKBmxOAc6
-Vaibhav Bhola (@Vibhubhola) 23 February 2026
Form declined after return
Since then his performance is being scrutinized. The left-handed batsman has struggled to make an impact at the top, being out for a duck three times after recovering from a stomach infection and then managing only 15 runs in the Super 8 game against South Africa.
This revelation has given rise to new debates, with many raising the question whether injury is the hidden reason behind Abhishek’s sudden decline in form in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. With India fighting for survival in the Super 8 stage, Abhishek’s form remains a big question for the team.
South Africa’s smart bowling net for Abhishek Sharma
Meanwhile, South Africa came fully prepared against Abhishek Sharma and ensured that he never looked comfortable at the crease. From the first over, the Proteas bowlers kept changing their pace, bowling slow balls, fast balls, short balls and full balls.
He also cleverly changed his angles, as a result of which Abhishek could not guess what was going to happen next. As an aggressive opener, he usually likes to attack early, but this time he looked uncertain, and Irfan Pathan pointed out that India’s top-order batsmen are finding it difficult to handle such smart plans.
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Irfan Pathan said on JioHotstar’s ‘Match Center Live’: “It was a real struggle for Abhishek Sharma in this game. We have seen him get out to off-spinners twice in the last two games. However, here the bowlers did not stick to just one pace or one line. If you look closely, no two balls in a row were the same and Abhishek Sharma had no answer to that.”
Irfan Pathan solved the problem
The former World Cup winner explained that when a batsman plays very aggressively, other teams start making special plans to stop him. They study his game carefully and try various tricks so that he cannot score easily. Pathan gave the example of Nathan Ellis during Abhishek’s Australia tour.
Ellis did not bowl the same type of ball again and again. He used slower balls, fuller balls and shorter bouncers. He even bowled back-of-the-hand slower balls to confuse them. Due to all these changes, Abhishek could not calm down or play his shots freely and that is exactly what the Proteas bowler did in the Super 8 clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Pathan signed off by saying, “It almost felt as if the South African bowlers took a leaf from Nathan Ellis’ book and applied it to the grassy wicket in Ahmedabad, with pace, variety, disciplined lines and frequent changes to keep it volatile.”
