Abhishek Sharma came back into form with 55 against Zimbabwe in Chennai.
Ravichandran Ashwin, former Indian spinner, strongly disagrees with Mohammad Amir's evaluation of Abhishek Sharma's game. During the T20 World Cup 2026 group round, the former Pakistan bowler made a startling statement, claiming that the left-handed opening batter lacks defensive gear in his batting and is "just a slogger."
Abhishek struggled in the T20 World Cup group stage, finishing with three ducks. He subsequently failed against South Africa, scoring only 15 runs in a Super 8s match. However, the 25-year-old regained form against Zimbabwe on Thursday, scoring 55 runs in 30 balls with four fours and sixes.
Speaking about Abhishek’s game, Ashwin said people may describe his batting in many ways, but he is far from being just a slogger. The former India spinner, who retired from international cricket in December 2024, added that Abhishek’s bat swing is even better than that of his mentor, Yuvraj Singh.
“There is a video of Mohammad Amir doing the rounds, where he called Abhishek Sharma a slogger. I just want to make one thing clear: you can say anything about his game, but he is not a slogger. He has one of the most enviable bat swings in the game today. We all know Yuvraj Singh is his mentor,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.
“He has probably got a better bat swing than him as well. You cannot get a better bat swing than that. Whenever Abhishek strikes the ball, it goes very far. So, people can mistake him for being a slogger. The one thing Abhishek has been guilty of is showing intent on every ball,” he added.
See here:
???? RAVI ASHWIN ROASTED MOHAMMAD AMIR ????
— Fan Account Richard Kettlebourogh (@RichKettle07) February 27, 2026
"You can say anything about Abhishek Sharma’s game, but he is NOT a slogger. He has one of the most enviable bat swings in cricket, even better than his mentor Yuvraj Singh. His only guilt is showing intent on every ball"
Do you agree???? pic.twitter.com/GlIkSPsPfx
Ashwin further added that Abhishek finally found his groove against Zimbabwe as he focused on timing rather than trying to hit every ball out of the ground.
“Abhishek doesn't have to give power on his shots. If anyone is talking to him, just tell him about the importance of timing the ball properly,” said Ashwin.
Speaking of Abhishek, he missed the match against Namibia because he got a stomach virus halfway through the group round. In addition, he lost some weight and was admitted to the hospital. Against the United States, Pakistan, and the Netherlands, the left-hander was dismissedfor ducks.