Ravi Ashwin has exposed a worrying trend in Abhishek Sharma's batting after the Indian opener suffered his third consecutive duck in the T20 World Cup 2026.
Ashwin's assessment comes as Sharma's sudden slump has become one of the biggest talking points of the tournament, especially given his status as the world's No. 1 T20I batter heading into the competition.
Photo by Debajyoti Chakraborty
Ravi Ashwin highlighted concerns about Abhishek Sharma's mindset and batting approach after his latest failure in the ongoing T20 World Cup.
"It is not a technical glitch. Abhishek used to play like this always. But this can play on your head. But I really hope he gets some runs and he has to come good.
"He has got three noughts on the trot, but that doesn't change how lethal a batter he is in T20 cricket," Ashwin said.
Ashwin's comments come amid a surprising downturn in Sharma's form in the T20 World Cup. Sharma has been dismissed for a duck in each of his last three innings so far, including against the USA and Netherlands, leaving him yet to score a run in the tournament despite his high ranking going in.
What makes this slump particularly notable is that Sharma entered the World Cup on the back of strong performances earlier in the season.
Teams now appear to be deploying disciplined lines to restrict his natural attacking instincts, which has forced him into tentative and ultimately unsuccessful strokes early in his innings.
Ashwin also pointed to a specific trend in how bowlers are challenging Sharma in this World Cup, suggesting it may be contributing to his struggles.
"Abhishek clears his front foot and tries to swing. So an off-spinner bowling has become a trend now. When we played RR vs SRH as well, I bowled 3 consecutive overs and did not go for many.
"He had to get out but narrowly escaped. It is becoming a trend," Ashwin continued.
He concluded: "They are trying to bowl tight lines. Because it is closer, it is not in his range. There is space to open his hands, but he has to come around it, but by the time he does, the ball has already gone through."
That analysis reflects broader patterns seen in the World Cup, where opposition teams have bowled fuller and straighter to negate Sharma's preferred swing-and-power game.
This tactical shift, combined with mounting pressure from consecutive failures, has made his role at the top of India's order one of the key talking points as the tournament progresses.
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