Abhishek Sharma’s poor form continues in the T20 World Cup 2026. Former captain Sunil Gavaskar has advised him to start the innings with singles instead of big shots. Now his place in the playing XI is in danger due to continuous failures.
Former Team India captain and batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has given a special advice to explosive opener Abhishek Sharma, who is struggling with poor form in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. Abhishek’s poor form has become a big topic of discussion after the ‘Men in Blue’ lost by 76 runs against South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, 22 February.
There is a lot of pressure on this left-handed opener, who is the world’s No. 1 T20I batsman and dominates the powerplay. He was out on zero thrice in a row against USA, Pakistan and Netherlands in the group stage. Before the Namibia match, he was out due to stomach infection, the effect of which was clearly visible on his rhythm and form against Pakistan and Netherlands.
Abhishek Sharma showed some signs of returning to form in the Super 8 match against South Africa. He also hit two fours and a six, but was out after scoring 15 runs in just 12 balls. With his dismissal, Team India’s score became 26/3 and the team was in trouble. Top-order batsmen including Ishan Kishan and Tilak Verma returned to the pavilion during the powerplay.
‘Open an account with a single’
Due to continuous poor performance in T20 World Cup 2026, Abhishek Sharma has become a cause of concern for Team India management. His failure has brought instability in the top order. Former Indian captain and now commentator Sunil Gavaskar has given a simple advice to Abhishek to get back in form.
Speaking on Star Sports after India’s 76-run defeat to South Africa, Gavaskar advised Abhishek to focus on settling at the crease instead of hitting big shots in the beginning of the innings. The former captain stressed on being patient, opening the account with singles and not worrying about dot balls as runs can be scored later.
Sunil Gavaskar said, “The kind of shots he plays, he needs to spend some time at the crease. He cannot try to hit a four or a six on the very first ball of his innings.”
He further said, “If big shots are hit, then it is fine. But they should not try to force big shots across the line. Open the account with a single. Even four dot balls do not make any difference. They can make up for it later.”
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Abhishek Sharma entered this tournament as a key player in Team India’s title defense campaign. He is the world number-1 batsman and came in 2025 scoring a lot of runs at an excellent strike rate of 193.46.
However, things turned sour for him in the tournament. He struggled to find his rhythm in the initial matches, getting out on zero thrice and scoring only 15 runs against South Africa in the Super 8. This has put India’s top-order under pressure and questions are being raised on their form in the crucial Super 8 stage.
Will Abhishek Sharma be out of the playing XI?
Abhishek Sharma’s poor form has increased the concern of Team India management. After the defeat in Super 8 against South Africa, the team is in a difficult situation and the path to the semi-finals has become difficult. In the press conference, India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Deutsche said that the food poisoning he suffered before the tournament has clearly affected Abhishek’s preparation and rhythm, which has affected his confidence and timing. However, he also hinted at a reshuffle in the playing XI and said that experienced batsmen like Sanju Samson could be considered to strengthen the top order.
India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak admitted that Team India is in no position to endure ‘another bad day’ after the failure of the top order against South Africa. He said that the team management will have to think before the ‘do or die’ matches against Zimbabwe and West Indies whether to make changes or rely on the existing players.
There is a serious threat to Abhishek Sharma’s place in the playing XI. After the crushing defeat against South Africa, there is speculation that the team management may make some major changes. According to reports, Abhishek’s name may also be included among the poorly performing batsmen in the possible reshuffle in the batting line-up.