Last Updated on 2 months ago by Charbel Coorey

Abhishek Sharma’s quiet run in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 has been the focal point of India’s campaign so far.

The No. 1-ranked T20I batter finally ended his sequence of three ducks in as many innings against South Africa in Ahmedabad. He cut Aiden Markram past the point region to pick up a four, triggering hopes of a much-needed return to run-scoring, as India stared at what ultimately proved to be a mammoth target of 188.

It proved to be a false hope, as the southpaw struggled against South African seamers, who bowled wide and took pace off the ball. Unable to break free, Abhishek fell in its pursuit after an ugly heave on the on-side to a knuckleball from Marco Jansen.

Coaches give reasons why Abhishek Sharma is not at his usual destructive best in the 2026 T20 World Cup

Before the South Africa match, Abhishek had struggled against off-spin. Then, the Proteas seamers seemingly exposed another chink in his armour.

That said, Indian coaches have different perspectives on how to address his form slump, as the defending champions face an early exit.

Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate feels that Abhishek getting diagnosed with food poisoning at the start of the tournament affected his preparation, and the three consecutive ducks have subsequently weighed him down. The former Netherlands batter feels that it’s the responsibility of the coaching staff to fix his issues.

“I think Abhi’s preparation coming into the World Cup with the food poisoning that he had at one stage has obviously hampered his progress in terms of where we want him to be at this phase,” he said, as quoted by cricbuzz.

“You want him to be up and running and sort of confident in his swing and confident in his game plan, and when you score three zeros, that is going to start weighing on you. I saw some really good signs on Friday night in the nets; I think I mentioned it in the presser then.

“But he looks a little bit short, and our job as the coaching staff is to pull that right. We’ve got four days to do that.”

Meanwhile, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak feels that there is no point in tinkering too much with Abhishek’s technique in the middle of a tournament. Rather, Kotak believes Abhishek needs to plan his innings better, and the same should be communicated to him by the management in front of the people he is comfortable with.

“I think it’s not like a struggle. Even today, I felt that he got a start. If you say a lot of things to the batsman at this time, it is more beneficial to not say anything to him. Every player has such a slack period of 2-3 matches. And it is the same time when five people think, ‘Let’s go and tell him something,'” he said.

“If you ask for my knowledge, I don’t think you will be able to tell him in two days and change him. If anything, you will put more doubts in his mind. That is how I think. So, this is my coaching philosophy. If there is time, 15 days, you can do something. Otherwise, it is all about him watching the ball better.

“He will have to plan his innings better, which we discuss by talking to one or two people in his comfort zone. For any player. Not only Abhishek. And he is such a player that you must have seen such phases in his IPL as well. I know that.

“But in such 2-3 matches, in such high-risk, high-reward situations, that thing is bound to happen. So, we have to be prepared for that,”

Abhishek’s form will again be under the spotlight on Thursday night, when India faces Zimbabwe in a must-win game at Chepauk.