India opener Abhishek Sharma’s rough patch in the T20 World Cup 2026 continued as he was dismissed for another 0 in the tournament during the match against the Netherlands in Ahmedabad. The left-handed batter is yet to open his account in the competition.
Sharma tried to hit one over mid-wicket against spinner Aryan Dutt, who was bowling the first over in the innings but completely missed the ball, and it disturbed the woodwork behind. He is the second batter in the world after Roger Mukasa of Ugand,a to score three ducks in the first three T20 World Cup matches. Like Abhishek, Roger Mukasa also failed to open his account in the first three matches of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
That’s 3 in row! #T20WorldCup #abhishek
Cruel game this sometimes. Chin up lad☺️
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) February 18, 2026
While he is the number one batter in format in the world at present, Abhishek’s form is becoming a cause of concern for India, especially with the side now set to play the Super 8 fixtures.
3 ducks in a row on a World Cup debut hurt, not hiding that.
But writing off Abhishek Sharma after three innings in T20 cricket is premature at best.
This is a player who has:
– Dominated powerplays with elite strike rates.
– Delivered match-winning knocks in high-pressure… pic.twitter.com/D5bmFp2k0G— GillTheWill (@GillTheWill77) February 18, 2026
India guys, time to accept it 😊 – Abhishek Sharma’s a slogger, not a technical batsman.
— Haral (@FakharHaral) February 18, 2026
ABHISHEK SHARMA WEARING SIRAJ’s JERSEY. 😄🔥 pic.twitter.com/KTsmrjNOQs
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 18, 2026
Abhishek Sharma’s Health
Abhishek Sharma missed the T20 World Cup 2026 match against Namibia in Delhi and was replaced by Sanju Samson in the Playing XI. “Abhishek (Sharma) is still not fine; he will miss a game or two. Sanju (Samson) comes in, similar batter, explosive. (Jasprit) Bumrah comes in for (Mohammed) Siraj,” captain Suryakumar Yadav said at the toss then.
“Abhishek Sharma is still recovering from his illness and was unavailable for selection. The BCCI medical team is closely monitoring his progress,” the BCCI said.
Abhishek was earlier hospitalised for two days due to a stomach infection. Later, an updated on Sharma’s health was shared by Tilak Varma during the press conference on Tuesday. “Abhishek has been discharged today. There is still time to decide on his participation for tomorrow’s game,” Varma told reporters.
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