Heading into the T20 World Cup 2026, Abhishek Sharma was expected to be India's destroyer-in-chief. However, the southpaw failed to live up to the hype, bagging three ducks in four innings so far.
While Abhishek failed to open his account in the Group A fixtures against USA, Pakistan and Netherlands, he managed to score 15 off 12 balls in the Super 8 opener against South Africa. As a result, the No.1-ranked T20I batter’s form has become a major talking point.
Amid the struggles, Abhishek Sharma has found words of support from ex-South African captain Faf du Plessis, who advised the left-handed opener to be smarter with his shot selection to counter the tactics bowlers are deploying against him.
Sharma has found it tough against off-spinners in this tournament. The likes of Salman Ali Agha and Aryan Dutt dismissed him in the group stage.
"Tactically, the game has got so smart with analysts and the way that they are trying to get you out," du Plessis said on ESPNcricinfo Timeout. "What I've picked up of late with Abhishek is people are now putting a deep point out and a deep extra cover out because he's so good at hitting the ball through the off side.
"So the key is to make sure that when you get to the crease, you're aware of what the opposition is trying to do. How are they trying to get me out? And then your decision as a batter, am I still sticking to my strengths? Am I trying to whack the ball for six over point, over cover? Or am I trying to bring the risk a little bit down and hit the ball on the ground for one or two, or try to score in a different area? Knowing Abhishek, you're probably trying to whack it for six over cover because he hits the ball so clean. But that's the decisions you have to make as a batter.
"The other thing I've picked up is that teams are bowling a lot of slower balls at him, and it's because he's got such a beautiful swing. What you're trying to do with guys that have such a long swing is you're trying to take pace off the ball. So once again, his decision is, how do I counter guys when they're bowling it slow?
"For me, what I try to do when guys are bowling slower balls at me, I either try to come down the wicket because you want to generate pace to hit the ball, or you try to hang back and set for that slower ball so that your hands are never in front of you. I'm not going to try to talk to Abhishek about batting. You know exactly what to do, but I can see teams are bowling a lot of slower balls at him."
Additionally, Faf du Plessis suggested Abhishek Sharma to shut out outside noise and focus on his strengths.
"Right now, everyone in the world is talking about [him]," du Plessis said. "There will be 1000 opinions, 50 coaches. Everyone will want to give their 5 cents to Abhishek and the way he should bat. And it's a tough place to be if you're a young guy, 25 years old, in your first World Cup with so much expectations. He has bossed the last year, smashed every bowling attack all over the place.
"He has been unbelievable the last two-three years in the IPL. He whacks bowling attacks all over the ground. He is the newer generation of T20 cricketer who doesn't actually have to worry about defence. He has got so many attacking options. The key for him now is, how do you keep the noise out? How do you make sure you focus on your strengths, your game, and keep your mind as clear as possible? Because there's a lot of noise going on when a player is in this state. I've got no doubt, give him a couple more innings, the youngster will come through and he'll have an amazing innings somewhere in this World Cup."
