Veteran Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir, who had labelled India opener Abhishek Sharma a “slogger” ahead of last Sunday’s marquee T20 World Cup 2026 clash in Colombo, issued a warning to the batter after he registered three consecutive ducks in his first three matches of the tournament.
On Wednesday, in India’s final Group A game against the Netherlands, Abhishek was dismissed off the third ball of the opening over by Aryan Dutt. Attempting a pull shot, he was beaten for pace as the ball skidded on to hit the stumps, marking his third duck in as many games, across just eight deliveries faced.
With the dismissal, Abhishek equalled the unwanted record for the most ducks by an Indian in T20 World Cups, alongside Ashish Nehra. Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi and Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan lead the overall list with five ducks each.
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Speaking on the Pakistani show Game on hai, Amir compared Abhishek’s struggles to those faced by Pakistan opener Saim Ayub early in his career during the Pakistan Super League (PSL). He noted that inexperienced batters are often tested by quality bowlers who quickly identify technical weaknesses.
“Saim had the same issue when he came to play the PSL a few years back. He was new and was hitting no-look shots. Nobody knew his weakness because most of his shots were on the leg side. Now, if you bowl at the third or fourth stump line, he struggles to decide. Even in his last two matches, he was dismissed playing on the off side. Unless he improves his off-side game, he cannot progress. Strong bowlers will always test your weakness and push you out of your comfort zone,” Amir said.
“Same for Abhishek. He wants every ball in the slot so he can hit. But at the bigger stages, or in ODIs, har ball lapete mein nahi le sakte (you cannot slog every ball in pressure cricket). Salman Agha and Aryan Dutt got him out in similar fashion. International cricket will expose you.”
India will hope Abhishek can recover from this lean run and rediscover form ahead of the Super 8 stage of the World Cup.
