Abhishek Sharma scored seven runs in eight balls against RCB in the first match of IPL 2026. Image Credit YouTube/@Ash Ki Baat and ANI
RCB vs SRH, IPL 2026: Royal Challengers Bengaluru kicked off the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League emphatically as the defending champions handed a tough loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad. RCB, chasing 202, broke the record for the fastest 200+ chase in the IPL as they reached their target with 26 balls to spare.
Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin, reacting to the historic win, slammed Abhishek Sharma. The opening batter from SRH was dismissed after playing another timid knock with the bat in hand in the first innings. Recently appointed vice-captain, Abhishek, managed to score only seven runs during his eight-ball stay at the crease. The left-handed batter was dismissed by Jacob Duffy on the first ball of the third over. Ashwin, who claims to be a huge fan of Abhishek, commented on his dismissal, saying that he needs to “pay attention.”
Abhishek Sharma, in spite of being the number 1-ranked batter in the ICC rankings, has been facing multiple ups and downs. In the recently concluded T20 World Cup, where India lifted the trophy, the left-handed opening batter struggled throughout the tournament, barring a couple of matches.
Having been named the vice-captain of the SRH team in the absence of regular skipper Pat Cummins, Abhishek certainly has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. The Indian batter was dismissed after scoring only seven runs in eight balls on a wicket that seemed to have flattened out as the game progressed.
Ashwin, while slamming Abhishek for his inconsistent run of form, said, “I had made a package, telling where to bowl to Abhishek Sharma and just as I was discussing that, he got out. I am a big fan of Abhishek Sharma, but he has to pay attention to all of this.”
Ashwin, on his YouTube channel, said he believed batting first would be advantageous for the Sunrisers. However, he admitted that he was disappointed that both Abhishek and Travis Head were unable to read the wicket correctly.
In his video, the former Indian spinner said, “Batting first is always good for SRH.” He reminded the viewers of how the Orange Army have been able to rack up huge totals when batting first in the IPL. “There was a lot of disappointment here because Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma didn’t read the wicket very well,” Ashwin added.
The second innings saw a couple of fantastic knocks from Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal to power RCB to a record-breaking chase. Reacting to SRH’s performance in the second innings, Ashwin talked about how their bowling is pretty poor. “No matter how much SRH would have scored, I feel it wouldn’t have been enough. SRH’s powerplay bowling is looking quite weak,” the former two-time IPL winner said.
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