Published: Feb 22, 2026, 11:01 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 22, 2026, 11:01 PM (IST)
India and South Africa faced off in the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 on Sunday. All eyes were on Abhishek Sharma, who has been struggling to score runs in this big tournament. Fans were hoping for a strong comeback from the opener against South Africa, but he failed once more and got out for only 15 runs.
Abhishek had already made three ducks in the first three matches of the tournament. In this important Super 8 game, he finally opened his account with a boundary, but his stay at the crease did not last long.
In the 5th over, Abhishek tried to hit a lofted shot on the on-side against Marco Jansen’s slower ball. The ball went up in the air between midwicket and mid-on. Both fielders ran towards it and nearly collided, but Corbin Bosch at midwicket took a good catch to send Abhishek back.
He played 15 balls in total, faced 12 deliveries, and hit two fours and one six before getting out.
After yet another failure, social media was full of angry reactions from fans.
In 2026, Abhishek Sharma has played nine T20 innings for India so far. His highest score is 84, and he has made 197 runs with an average of 24.62 and a strike rate of 211.82. He has hit only two half-centuries this year. Out of these nine innings, he has been dismissed for a duck five times.
In 2026, Abhishek Sharma had a mixed run in T20Is for India. He started the year strongly against New Zealand in Nagpur in the first T20I with 84 runs. Just two days later in Raipur, he was out for a duck on the first ball. In Guwahati in the third T20I, he bounced back with a quick 68 off just 20 balls. However, in Visakhapatnam in the fourth T20I, he again fell for a duck on the first ball. He finished the five-match series in Thiruvananthapuram with 30 runs off 16 balls.
After that series, Abhishek entered the T20 World Cup 2026 with big expectations, but he has struggled badly.
In the T20 World Cup 2026, Abhishek Sharma’s form has been a major concern for India. On February 7 in Mumbai against USA, he was out for a golden duck. He missed the match against Namibia due to a stomach upset. On February 15 in Colombo against Pakistan, he faced just 4 balls and scored no runs for another duck. Against the Netherlands, he lasted only 3 balls and again failed to open his account with a duck. In the Super 8 opener against South Africa, he managed 15 runs off 12 balls before getting out, showing a small improvement but still falling short of expectations.
Abhishek Sharma has become the weak link for India in this tournament so far. With more big matches coming in Super 8, the team and fans will hope he finds his form quickly.
For all latest updates of T20 World Cup 2026 you can visit: https://www.cricketcountry.com/icc-mens-t20-world-cup-2026/
