Irfan Pathan Opened Up on Abhisekh Sharma’s Faliure in the T20 World Cup
Irfan Pathan, the former Indian all-rounder, recently talked about Abhishek Sharma’s on-field struggle in the Super Eight clash against South Africa. The all-rounder, while speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Haier Match Centre Live’, talked openly about the India team. JioStar expert, cricketer said, “It was a real struggle for Abhishek Sharma in this game. We’ve seen that he has gotten out to off-spinners twice in the last two matches. However, here the bowlers didn’t just stick to one pace or one line. If you look closely, no two consecutive deliveries were the same, and Abhishek Sharma didn’t seem to have an answer to that.” He further added, “Whenever a player adopts such an aggressive approach, teams always plan specifically against him. Nathan Ellis showed that when Abhishek toured Australia. He used all sorts of deliveries against him, back-of-the-hand slower ones, fuller balls, and mixed them well with bouncers. It almost felt like the South African bowlers took a leaf out of Ellis’ book and applied it on a grassy wicket in Ahmedabad, with pace, variations, disciplined lines, and constant changes to keep him unsettled.” It was yet another disappointing outing for Abhishek Sharma, marking his fourth consecutive failure in T20Is. The top-ranked T20I batter had already registered three successive ducks before the Super 8 clash against the South Africa national cricket team. While he managed to open his account this time, he never appeared settled at the crease. Abhishek struggled to find rhythm and was eventually undone by a well-disguised knuckleball from Marco Jansen, only to be caught by Corbin Bosch. His stay ended at 15 off 12 balls, a brief knock that failed to provide India with the strong start they desperately needed. The lean patch stands in stark contrast to his remarkable 2025 season. The young left-hander had enjoyed a breakthrough year, amassing 859 runs in 21 T20Is at an impressive average of 42.95. His fearless stroke play and consistency had made him one of India’s most dependable performers in the format. However, the current year has told a different story. Even before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Abhishek endured a tough five-match series against the New Zealand national cricket team, where he recorded two ducks. With four consecutive low scores now, concerns are mounting over his form at a crucial stage of the tournament.
Ashwin Brutally Criticises the Managment of India
Ravichandran Ashwin, the veteran spinner, criticised India’s management of the match against South Africa. The ex-India star did not hold back as he criticised the team management’s selection decisions, calling them costly mistakes in a high-pressure ICC tournament. Ashwin openly questioned the decision to drop Axar Patel from the playing XI. He stressed that while match-ups are important in franchise cricket, global tournaments demand consistency and faith in proven performers. According to him, Axar has been India’s Most Valuable Player in T20 cricket and leaving him out of a crucial Super 8 encounter was a serious error. He pointed to Axar’s impact in the previous T20 World Cup final, where the all-rounder stitched a vital 72-run stand with Virat Kohli to push India past 170. Ashwin argued that Axar has repeatedly delivered under pressure and could have provided the same stability against South Africa. In his view, India lacked middle-order balance and composure — something Axar consistently brings to the side. Ashwin also slammed the decision to play Washington Sundar ahead of Axar purely on match-up theory. He made it clear that while Sundar is a quality cricketer, tournament cricket is not the place for excessive experimentation. Stability, he insisted, wins championships. Another move that baffled Ashwin was sending Rinku Singh at No. 8. He argued that a batter of Rinku’s calibre cannot be pushed so low in the order, especially in a must-win clash. By doing so, India limited their own firepower. For Ashwin, the defeat was not just about execution on the field. It was about preparation and clarity. His message was blunt: India overthought the contest, ignored a proven match-winner in Axar Patel, and paid the price.
Broadcaster To Take Down Controversial Advertisement as it Backfires
Indian broadcaster inclined to take down a mocking advertisement on the T20 World Cup 2026. In the advertisement, an Indian fan was mocking South Africa, delving into the rivalry and sportsmanship. However, the pre-match promo backfired; fans didn’t encourage the ad. The ad, taking place in a cafe, visualised an Indian fan trolling SA support for their defeat in the 2024 T20 World Cup final. However, the fans noted that it is spoiling the spirit of the game. The ad backfired on Sunday as India suffered a 76-run defeat against South Africa. The Proteas set a target of 187/7 in 20 overs. However, the Yadav and Co. bundled on 111. The advertisement was deleted from Star Sports’ official X (formerly Twitter) account, though it remains unclear whether the removal happened before or after the Super 8 match. The backlash also took an interesting turn when South African actor and influencer Thanja Vuur shared a humorous Instagram post poking fun at Star Sports’ “cupcake” theme. In the video, Vuur is seen eating a cupcake while displaying India’s scorecard on screen, captioned “So sweet.” This was India’s first loss in 18 ICC matches across formats since their defeat in the 2023 World Cup final to Australia at the same venue. The defeat also severely dented India’s net run rate (-3.800), leaving them needing wins against Zimbabwe (Feb 26, Chennai) and West Indies (March 1, Kolkata) to qualify for the semifinals. Meanwhile, South Africa will next face the West Indies on February 26.
