Abhishek Sharma suddenly lost control over his form. The opening batsman was in excellent form before the T20 World Cup 2026. He entered the tournament with high expectations.
So far, Team India has played three matches in the tournament, and Sharma has played in two and is yet to score in the 2026 T20 World Cup. Ahead of India’s next match, which is against Netherlands on February 18, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has put forward a safety measure for the batsman.
Abhishek Sharma was in great form before T20 World Cup 2026
Ahead of the tournament, when Team India was playing New Zealand for a 5-match T20 series, the southpaw batsman scored plenty of runs, which has naturally increased the expectations for the ongoing title race, where Team India is playing as the co-hosts as well as the defending champions.
First of all, Team India and Indian cricket fans united when Abhishek Sharma got out for a golden duck against the United States cricket team. The USA placed a fielder at square, where left-handed batsmen like to hit most.
The result against Pakistan did not change. Sharma had to go home again without scoring any runs. On 15 February, when India were against Pakistan in Colombo, Salman Ali Aga dismissed the dangerous Indian batsman.
Sitanshu Kotak explains the scenario
But when Abhishek was performing well then why did he suddenly lose his form? During the press conference on Tuesday, Team India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said that the batsman has lost his rhythm due to illness. But keeping his long-term vision in mind, he does not want to put too much emphasis on Sharma’s form.
“He scored runs before falling ill. It is a high-risk game. If we stress too much about a few failures, the pressure will also be on the batsmen,” Kotak said ahead of the India vs Netherlands match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Due to Abhishek Sharma’s illness, the Indian team management had to change its opening pair for the match against Namibia. The 25-year-old suffered a stomach upset ahead of India’s opening match of the tournament. He might have eaten something wrong in Mumbai, which affected his stomach.
Abhishek Sharma admitted to hospital
According to reports, the opener’s health deteriorated during the India vs United States match. After getting out early, he did not even come to field in the second innings. Later, for the second match, he went to Delhi for the next match, but was unable to do so due to a stomach problem.
Tilak Verma further informed that Sharma was admitted to the hospital for medical care. The Punjab-born player returned to action via the India vs Pakistan match, but was out for a duck again.
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