Abhishek Sharma’s poor condition remains a focal point ahead of the India vs South Africa Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup 2026. Abhishek Sharma was out for three consecutive ducks, the latest low in his professional cricket career.
Ahead of South Africa’s match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 22, batting coach Ashwell Prince reacted to the Indian opener’s poor form.
During an exclusive interview with Times Now, Ashwell Prince did not want to make any direct comments to any player of the opposing team. He clearly said that his team is completely focused on the upcoming matches.
The India vs South Africa match will be equally important for both the teams. The winner will advance to the semi-finals, and the losing side must win both remaining games to maintain semi-final hopes.
Despite Abhishek Sharma’s consecutive ducks, the former South African opener praised the Indian batsman, calling him a brilliant player. Prince points out that every individual player has ups and downs; Young batsman Abhishek Sharma will experience a lot of these.
Abhishek Sharma is a fantastic player: South Africa’s batting coach
Prince said, “I obviously don’t want to comment too much about any individual in the Indian team. After all, he is a young man, and he will learn this in his cricket career. He will have highs, and there will be many more like this in the future; it will not happen just once in your life.”
“But he is a brilliant player and we know how dangerous he can be. But from our side, our focus is not on any Indian player,” the South African batting coach said.
The 48-year-old Ashwell Prince stressed that his sole focus is on the entire Team India and not just any individual. Acknowledging the strength of India’s batting, he said the Proteas did their best to surpass the opposition’s score.
He further said, “They have a strong lineup. So we have to focus on the entire lineup and the entire team and try to see how we can score one more run than them. That is the target. So as I say, the Indian team is not focused on just one player.”
Prince told about his game plan
The former international player believes that all three matches in the Super 8 will be highly competitive. Apart from India, they will also have to face West Indies and New Zealand who are on top in their respective groups. But at present South Africa is focusing only on India’s match.
“It’s a big match tomorrow, but there are also remaining matches in the Super 8, against West Indies, who are top of their group, and against Zimbabwe, who are top of their group. So three matches in total, they will all be tough matches. At the moment the focus is on tomorrow’s match against India,” Ashwell Prince concluded.
Read more: South Africa’s coach spoke openly on the poor form of Dewald Brevis before the match against India.
