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 Netherlands and reached the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup 2026.
Ravichandran Ashwin urges patience amid Abhishek Sharma’s drop discussion
But while the defending champions are flying high, Abhishek Sharma’s form is deteriorating badly. The young Indian opener has now been out for a duck three times in a row in the tournament. Despite this poor performance, former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes that there is no need to panic.
He believes three failures don’t suddenly make Abhishek Sharma a weak batsman, saying he can destroy any bowling attack inside the powerplay if he clicks. Ashwin also told a clear pattern.
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Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube channel ‘Aish Ki Baat’, “It’s not a technical glitch. Abhishek always played like this. But it can get to your mind. But I really expect him to score some runs and he has to do well. He has been not out three times in a row, but that doesn’t change how lethal a batsman he is in T20 cricket.”
Ravichandran Ashwin sees clear pattern in Abhishek’s dismissal
The former all-rounder has said that the off-spinner is attacking Abhishek at the beginning of the innings. They are bowling in a tight line and are not giving him space to open his arms. He said that Netherlands off-spinner Aryan Dutt used that plan very well and uprooted his stumps with a smart delivery.
Ashwin further explained, “Abhishek clears his front foot and tries to swing. So, off-spinner bowling has become a trend now. When we also played RR vs SRH, I bowled 3 overs in a row and did not play much. He was supposed to get out but narrowly escaped.”
This is becoming a trend. They are trying to bowl on a tight line. Due to its proximity, it is not within its limits. There’s room to open his hands, but he’s got to get around it, but by the time he does, the ball is already gone.”
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Ashwin raised his voice against the idea of bringing Sanju Samson in place of Abhishek Sharma.
There is also discussion about whether Sanju Samson can take his place in the playing eleven. But Ashwin believes that dropping Abhishek Sharma now would be a wrong move. He believes that the team should back the left-handed opening batsman as an explosive innings can change everything.
“This is Abhishek’s game. It happens. He was also not well. He has scored runs; it is not like that. It is not like you will drop him from the team right now. When he is in rhythm, he wins games for India within the powerplay,” Ashwin said.
Abhishek’s struggles are worrying, but he was unwell during the tournament and missed the Namibia match due to a stomach infection. Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, he was in tremendous form against New Zealand, scoring 182 runs in five matches at a strike rate above 240.