Abhishek Sharma is yet to score in this T20 World Cup.
Legendary India opener Sunil Gavaskar has advised troubled India opener Abhishek Sharma to take it easy and go for a single first up. This comes after Abhishek registered two ducks in the two games he has played in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026.
Abhishek made a golden duck against the USA in Mumbai and then got out for a duck again against Pakistan in Colombo. He missed the Namibia match due to a stomach bug. Those performances make one wonder if Abhishek's live-or-die-by-the-sword play style has actually held him back.
Abhishek has emerged as one of the most exciting T20I talents in international cricket over the last year and a half, and former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has one piece of advice for him to break his drought: take the first single.
"My unsolicited advice to Abhishek Sharma is just knock a single first. That's it. Then you can start banging after that. But just knock a single, take a quick single where your legs move quickly, and then go on.
It is the confidence that one has in oneself. He (Kishan) got a hundred against New Zealand. He is in form and in good touch, and he is cashing in on that. What is important is that he is not taking good form for granted. A lot of batters do that and look to go bang-bang. You can go out of your territory once you are set, and that is exactly what we have seen from him," Gavaskar said on Sports Today.
Abhishek had an excellent Asia Cup 2025, scoring 314 runs and being the Player of the Tournament. Ahead of the Netherlands match, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said there is no need to stress over Abhishek's form.
"Obviously, we plan, but he wasn't well and didn't play (against Namibia). In the last game, he got out in the first over. One thing we definitely do unnecessarily is overanalyze; sometimes, you start making more assumptions than the opposition does.
He has his plans sorted, he follows the way he wants to, and obviously, we discuss the opposition, their bowling, their strengths, what they've been doing—all that is normal for everyone, not just Abhishek," said Kotak.
Kotak backed Abhishek's high-risk, high-reward game.
"Abhishek, before he fell ill, made runs in matches. In the T20 format, sometimes 10 balls for 30 is just as important. It's not like he hasn't scored runs. The T20 format is high risk—someone will get out. If we stress too much, players will be under pressure. He is in good form, has clear plans, and has a clear mindset—that's what matters for us,” he stated.
India will face the Netherlands in their final Group A match in Ahmedabad on February 18, 2026.