T20 World Cup 2026: Former India great urges patience as Abhishek Sharma's lean patch deepens

India’s campaign at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup took a severe hit after a crushing 76-run loss to South Africa, with former captain Sunil Gavaskar advising Abhishek Sharma to rethink his aggressive approach at the top of the order.

For the fourth straight game, an Indian opener fell for a duck in the tournament. This time it was Ishan Kishan, dismissed in the first over by South African skipper Aiden Markram. With India under immediate pressure, attention shifted to Abhishek, who had yet to score a run in the competition.

The 26-year-old began brightly, striking a boundary off his first delivery and later launching Kagiso Rabada for a six. But the brief counterattack couldn’t conceal his ongoing struggles. He was eventually dismissed by Marco Jansen, and after Tilak Varma departed for 1, India were reeling at 26/3. Chasing 188, they never recovered, and the heavy defeat left their net run rate plummeting to -3.8.

Also Read: T20 World Cup 2026: India suffer humiliating loss against South Africa

Speaking after the match, Gavaskar stressed that Abhishek needs to temper his natural instinct to attack from the outset. While his fearless strokeplay has previously made him the world’s top-ranked T20I batter, Gavaskar believes a more measured start is now essential.

According to the batting legend, Abhishek should focus on spending time at the crease instead of forcing big shots early in his innings. Even a handful of dot balls, Gavaskar suggested, is no cause for concern, as a player of his ability can accelerate later.