India opener Abhishek Sharma’s struggles in the T20 World Cup continued as he was dismissed for a third consecutive duck, this time against the Netherlands in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. The left-hander, who entered the tournament as the world’s No. 1 T20I batter, is yet to score a single run in his maiden ICC event.
Facing off-spinner Aryan Dutt, Abhishek attempted a pull shot on the third ball of the opening over but was beaten by the skidding delivery, which crashed into the stumps. Interestingly, Abhishek was wearing Mohammed Siraj’s jersey, but the change in attire did not bring a change in fortune.
Unwanted Record for Abhishek Sharma
With three ducks in as many matches — against the USA, Pakistan, and the Netherlands — Abhishek has now jointly become the Indian batter with the most ducks in T20 World Cup history, equalling former pacer Ashish Nehra.
Globally, Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi and Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan hold the record for most ducks in the tournament, with five each. Afridi played 34 T20 World Cup matches, while Dilshan featured in 35.
Sunil Gavaskar’s Advice to End the Drought
Ahead of the match, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar offered a simple yet practical piece of advice to Abhishek Sharma: focus on scoring a single first.
“My unsolicited advice to Abhishek Sharma is: just knock a single first. That’s it. Then you can start banging after that,” Gavaskar told Sports Today.
Gavaskar emphasised the importance of confidence and not taking form for granted, recalling Abhishek’s recent century against New Zealand. He added that batters should expand their scoring options only after settling in at the crease.
India’s Concerns Ahead of Super 8 Stage
India had hoped Abhishek would rediscover his touch ahead of the Super 8 stage, but the opener’s lean patch has persisted. Once in prolific form, Abhishek is still searching for his first run in the global event.
Indian batters have faced challenges against spin throughout the group stage, with Gerhard Erasmus, Usman Qadir, and Saim Ayub troubling them earlier. On Wednesday, it was Indian-origin spinner Aryan Dutt who made an impact for the Netherlands at the world’s largest cricket stadium.
Although the Indian batters had worked on their spin game in the nets before the match, there remains work to be done going forward. Alongside Dutt, the Netherlands pacers’ variations also posed questions for the star-studded Indian batting lineup.