Mohammad Amir warns Abhishek Sharma International Cricket Will Expose You. Photo: X
The T20 World Cup 2026 was supposed to be the grand arrival of India’s newest opening sensation, Abhishek Sharma. Instead, the young left-hander has found himself at the center of a brewing technical debate after enduring a nightmare start to the tournament. Following three consecutive ducks, veteran Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir has doubled down on his pre-tournament critique, suggesting that the “slogger” tag he previously assigned to the batter is being validated on the international stage.
The pressure reached a boiling point during India’s final Group A fixture against the Netherlands in Ahmedabad. Facing off-spinner Aryan Dutt, Abhishek attempted a pull shot on just the third delivery he faced. Beaten by the skid and pace of the ball, his stumps were shattered, marking his third straight zero in the tournament.
With this dismissal, Abhishek entered the record books for all the wrong reasons, equalling Ashish Nehra for the most ducks by an Indian in a single T20 World Cup. He has faced a total of only eight deliveries across three matches, failing to get off the mark in high-profile clashes against the USA, Pakistan, and now the Netherlands.
Speaking on the Pakistani cricket show Game on Hai, Mohammad Amir—who had labeled Abhishek a “slogger” before the India-Pakistan clash in Colombo—drew sharp parallels between the Indian opener and Pakistan’s Saim Ayub. He noted that while aggressive “no-look” shots and leg-side dominance work in franchise leagues, international bowlers are far more clinical in exploiting one-dimensional play.
“Saim had the same issue when he came to play the PSL a few years back… Nobody knew his weakness because most of his shots were on the leg side. Now, if you bowl at the third or fourth stump line, he struggles to decide… Unless he improves his off-side game, he cannot progress,” Amir remarked.
Turning his focus directly to the Indian youngster, Amir was blunt about the lack of technical adaptability required for the bigger stages.
“Same for Abhishek. He wants every ball in the slot so he can hit. But at the bigger stages, or in ODIs, har ball lapete mein nahi le sakte (you cannot slog every ball in pressure cricket). Salman Agha and Aryan Dutt got him out in similar fashion. International cricket will expose you,” the pacer warned.
Despite the “Duckman” headlines and the intense scrutiny from across the border, India’s team management, led by Suryakumar Yadav, has remained supportive of Abhishek’s aggressive intent. As the tournament shifts to the Super 8s, the Men in Blue will be desperately hoping their World No. 1 ranked T20I batter can find his rhythm and prove that his “slogger” label is merely a temporary phase of a much deeper talent.
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