Many experts have claimed that Abhishek Sharma is the most fearsome batsman at the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, predicting that the left-handed flamboyant opener could break several records in the competition and propel India to a second consecutive T20 title.
However, as India have begun their T20 World Cup 2026 with two wins in two group games, Abhishek is yet to score a single run.
In India’s opening match against the USA, Abhishek was out for a first-ball duck, caught at deep cover while aiming for a boundary to get off the mark. Abhishek then didn’t take the field during USA’s innings; it was revealed that he had a stomach bug and played the game with high fever.
Indeed, his stomach issue was not a minor one as he was later hospitalized in Delhi for more than a day. Abhishek was reportedly discharged from the hospital on Wednesday and thus was rested from India’s second match on Thursday against Namibia, which India sealed by a massive margin of 93 runs.
Both India and Pakistan have won their first two matches, respectively, in Group A and are all but certain to proceed to the Super 8 round. That is unless there is a major upset lying ahead in their last group matches, when India play Netherlands and Pakistan play Namibia. The Dutch are still alive, having beaten Namibia after going down to Pakistan.
The next fixture is the marquee game of any ICC event: India vs Pakistan.
The Indian team and its fans would be hoping that Abhishek is fit for Sunday’s match against Pakistan, which will be played in Colombo. The left-handed opener had a great time smashing the Pakistani bowlers during the Asia Cup last year.
Ahead of the IND vs PAK match, a former India batsman has made a huge statement on Abhishek, suggesting that he puts the kind of fear into the opposition that the iconic Viv Richards used to put in his days.
It’s what Viv Richards used to do in the 80s: Rohan Gavaskar hails Abhishek Sharma’s destructiveness
Former India batsman Rohan Gavaskar, son of the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, has alluded to the fear factor that Abhishek has over his opposition even before he’s faced a ball.
Appearing on a Cricbuzz Live show, Rohan opined that since Abhishek has won India several games with his gung-ho approach, he has the security of keeping his place in the side, which allows him to bat with utmost freedom because even a failure wouldn’t put his spot in the XI under any threat. Rohan reckons this freedom makes Abhishek so dangerous, akin to Sir Viv.
Rohan Gavaskar said on Cricbuzz, “Once you’ve got the weight of performances in the bank, even if you get out for a few first-ball ducks, you are still in the 11. So the fear of not being in the side is not there, which allows you to play without pressure. He puts the fear of God into the opposition. It’s what Viv Richards used to do in the 80s.”
“If the opposition has got 280 in a T20 and India are chasing that, they won’t be thinking we’ve got this game in the bag. Because they know in the first six overs, if Abhishek bats through that period, India could well be in that chase.”
IND vs PAK: Will Abhishek Sharma play against Pakistan?
At the toss against Namibia, Suryakumar said Abhishek “will miss a game or two” as he is still recovering from his stomach infection. This means that Abhishek’s participation against Pakistan is not certain. A decision on the India opener will likely be taken on Saturday, a day before the IND vs PAK fixture.
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