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.
