Coaches Divided as Abhishek Sharma Battles Form Slump at T20 World Cup 2026
Four innings. Three ducks. One scratchy 15. India’s most explosive opener is barely making a mark — and now the coaching staff can’t even agree on what to do about it.
Abhishek Sharma’s form crisis is the biggest talking point inside the Indian camp at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, and the divide in the dressing room over how to handle it is making things more complicated than they need to be.
| Stat | Detail |
|---|---|
| Matches Played | 4 |
| Scores | 0, 0, 0, 15 |
| Dismissed By | Off-spinners (2x), Pacers (wide & slow) |
| Tournament Status | Yet to cross 20 in any innings |
What Actually Happened Against South Africa
Against South Africa, Abhishek finally got off the duck — cutting one to the fence after Sunil Gavaskar publicly advised him to just take a single, get off the mark, and not force the big shots. He followed the advice. He hit three boundaries total. Then he fell for 15.
The pacers bowled wide and slow, cutting off his angles, stopping him from freeing his arms. The off-spinner problem from earlier games had been studied and fixed by opposition teams — now the quicks are in on it too. Abhishek is getting figured out from both ends, and that is a serious red flag at this level.
The Coaching Split — Two Very Different Philosophies
This is where it gets interesting. Two senior Indian coaches looked at the same problem and came up with completely opposite answers.
Ryan ten Doeschate — Assistant Coach: He pointed to Abhishek’s food poisoning before the tournament as a factor that disrupted his preparation and rhythm. His view is that the coaching staff needs to actively intervene — pull him back to where he needs to be mentally and technically. He mentioned seeing good signs in the nets on Friday and believes four days is enough time to make a meaningful difference.
Sitanshu Kotak — Batting Coach: His philosophy is the opposite. Don’t say too much. Don’t overload a struggling batter with advice when there’s no time to implement it properly. His argument: telling a player fifteen things two days before a game only adds more doubts, not solutions. He believes Abhishek needs to watch the ball better, plan his innings smarter — quietly, through one or two trusted conversations — not a crowd of coaches all weighing in at once.
| Coach | Stance | Key Point |
|---|---|---|
| Ryan ten Doeschate | Intervene actively | Food poisoning disrupted prep, needs correction |
| Sitanshu Kotak | Less is more | Too much advice = more doubt, not less |
Both views have merit. The danger is when neither wins and Abhishek ends up getting mixed messages from both directions.
What the Experts Say
Zubin Bharucha — a respected coach who has worked with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and Dhruv Jurel — made a sharp point about how T20 cricket itself makes traditional ideas of “form” almost meaningless.
In a format this volatile, a batter can go from zero to a match-winning hundred on any given day. Sanju Samson’s career as an opener proves exactly that — it’s often either zero or a hundred, nothing in between. Bharucha’s advice for Abhishek is simple: stop measuring success by how hard you hit balls in the nets. Walk out with the same fearless mindset that made you successful, and capitalise when the moment arrives.
Samson, interestingly, is a potential replacement at the top if India decide to make a change. That’s the kind of pressure Abhishek is operating under right now.
Check the latest T20 World Cup 2026 news and updates as India’s squad decisions could shift quickly from here.
The Pattern Opposition Teams Have Found
This is the part India’s think tank needs to address urgently:
- Off-spinners — exploited his tendency to play across the line, got him twice in two games
- Wide, slow pace — bowled outside off, denied him the swing-through-the-line that is his natural game
- Dot ball pressure — once he’s tied down, he tends to either force or freeze
The opposition has done their homework. Abhishek’s game relies on early momentum. When that’s taken away in the first three or four overs, he hasn’t yet shown the ability to rebuild and counter-attack later. That’s the gap in his game that needs fixing — not just for this tournament, but for his long-term international career.
Follow the Super 8 group stage schedule — India still have crucial matches remaining and Abhishek’s form directly affects their top-order firepower.
Can He Turn It Around?
Possibly, yes. T20 cricket has a brutal but fair logic to it — one innings can change everything. Michael Jordan’s famous quote applies here perfectly: he failed over and over again, and that is exactly why he succeeded. Abhishek has failed four times in this tournament. The law of averages, and the nature of T20 batting, says a big score is not far away.
But the window is closing. India need results now, and carrying an out-of-form opener through the Super Eights is a gamble. The coaches need to get on the same page — fast.
See how India’s World Cup group position looks after recent results and what’s at stake for the remainder of the tournament.
The Bottom Line
Abhishek Sharma is talented enough to turn this around. The question is whether the coaching staff can create the right environment for him to do that — without overcomplicating it. Kotak’s instinct to protect his mindset is sound. Ten Doeschate’s urgency to correct the technical gaps is also valid. The answer probably sits somewhere in the middle: keep it simple, keep it calm, and back him for one more game.
If it doesn’t click soon though, India may have a very difficult decision to make.
FAQs
Q. How many ducks has Abhishek Sharma scored in T20 World Cup 2026? Three ducks in four innings, with his only score being 15 against South Africa.
Q. Why is Abhishek Sharma struggling at T20 World Cup 2026? He’s been troubled by off-spinners early in his innings and pace bowlers bowling wide and slow to cut off his scoring angles.
Q. What did Sunil Gavaskar advise Abhishek Sharma? Gavaskar advised him not to force big shots and instead take a single to get off the mark and settle.
Q. Are India’s coaches divided over Abhishek Sharma’s form? Yes — assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate wants active intervention while batting coach Sitanshu Kotak believes less advice is better at this stage.
Q. Who could replace Abhishek Sharma if India drop him? Sanju Samson is considered the most likely replacement at the top of the order.
Q. Can Abhishek Sharma still turn his form around in T20 World Cup 2026? Yes — T20 cricket is highly unpredictable and one good innings can completely change the narrative for any batter.
