Perhaps the most shocking failure has been opener Abhishek Sharma, who has yet to score a single run in the tournament. In three innings, he has registered scores of 0, 0, and 0. The manner of his dismissals is concerning: lofting his first ball to deep cover against the USA, miscuing a skidder to mid‑on against Pakistan, and being bowled attempting a wild swing versus Netherlands.
Experts had tipped him to be among the leading run‑getters, but his aggressive approach has backfired. Sunil Gavaskar advised him to settle in before attacking, but India cannot afford a misfiring opener in the next stage.