Kamal Ghorui
Veteran Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir has issued a stern warning to India opener Abhishek Sharma after the batter registered three consecutive ducks at the start of the T20 World Cup 2026. Before India’s high-profile clash with Pakistan last Sunday in Colombo, Amir had labelled Abhishek a “slogger,” and the batter’s early struggles have now drawn further scrutiny. In India’s final Group A match against the Netherlands on Wednesday, Abhishek fell on the third ball of the first over to Aryan Dutt. Trying to play a pull shot, he was beaten by the pace as the ball skidded through and hit the stumps. This dismissal marked his third duck in as many games, with just eight deliveries faced across the three matches.
With this, Abhishek equalled the record for the most ducks by an Indian in T20 World Cups, joining Ashish Nehra. Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi and Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan top the overall list with five ducks each. Speaking on the Pakistani show Game on hai, Amir drew parallels between Abhishek’s early struggles and those faced by Pakistan opener Saim Ayub during his initial PSL campaigns. He stressed that young batters are quickly tested by quality bowlers who spot technical flaws. “Saim had the same issue when he came to play the PSL a few years back. He was new and was hitting no-look shots. 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. Even in his last two matches, he was dismissed playing on the off side. Unless he improves his off-side game, he cannot progress. Strong bowlers will always test your weakness and push you out of your comfort zone,” Amir said. He added specifically about Abhishek: “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.” India will be hoping that Abhishek overcomes this poor run of form and regains his rhythm ahead of the Super 8 stage of the tournament.
