Former India captain and legend Sunil Gavaskar analysed star opener Abhishek Sharma's ongoing struggle in the T20 World Cup 2026. The World No.1 T20I batter Abhishek has bagged three ducks and scored a scratchy 15 against South Africa as his form begins to worry India after their 76-run defeat to the Proteas in Ahmedabad.
Abhishek was far from his best as he struggled for fluency, often failing to connect his strokes in India's 188-run chase and fell a 12-ball 15 with a solitary six and two fours. He was given a tough time by the likes of Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada, both of whom cramped him for room and plotted his downfall.
Gavaskar decodes Abhishek's form
Gavaskar spoke on Abhishek's lean run, stating that there is no fluency in his batting at the moment, brushing aside the belief that the opener has looked strong while practising in the nets. "The fluency is not there at the moment. In the nets, you know you'll face the next ball even if you get out on the first. But in a match, it's a completely different story," Gavaskar told Star Sports after India's loss.
"That pressure can almost freeze you, restricting the free movement of the arms when aiming for a big shot. He got a little stuck there, and South Africa bowled very cleverly. They know he likes to make room and play through the offside, so look at Rabada, he kept targeting the pads relentlessly, even after conceding a six," he added.
India handed drubbing in Ahmedabad, first loss since 2022 semifinal
India were handed a major reality check in the Super Eight stage. The defending champions are tipped to be strong favourites to win the World Cup again, but their loss to South Africa has put their semifinal hopes in jeopardy. This was India's first loss in a T20 World Cup tournament since their defeat to England in the 2022 semifinal. India had won all eight matches in 2024 in a row en route to their title win before winning four in this tournament. The streak came to an end against the Proteas.
