After failing to open scoring in the group stage, Abhishek Sharma finally found some runs in the India vs South Africa match. However, his stint in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 remains short as he was out after scoring a shaky 15 off 12 balls.
India’s chances of winning the match looked bleak after Sharma’s departure (26/3). Things got worse with Washington Sundar (11) and Suryakumar Yadav (18) dismissed while India struggled at 51/5.
Indian cricket fans expressed frustration over Abhishek Sharma’s continued poor form. Many of them asked the team management to drop the opener and make way for Sanju Samson.
“The biggest fraud India got is Abhishek Sharma. Even if he scores a hundred in a final or any knockout game, he will still be a fraud for me forever. Bookmark this tweet for the next 10 years,” wrote an Indian cricket fan.
“Very poor batting by Ishan Kishan, Tilak Verma and Abhishek Sharma. India should bring back Rohit Sharma, Sanju Samson and remove all these 4 players including Washington Sundar,” suggested another fan.
Another fan referred to what Pakistani pacer Mohammad Amir said about the Indian opener: “Mohammad Amir was right. Again proved….. Abhishek sharma is a slogger.”
“Abhishek Sharma fooled every Indian cricket fan,” came from another.
“No one has been exposed this badly in a World Cup like Abhishek Sharma. He made everyone believe he was a T20I asset, but in reality he’s looked like a reckless slogger who thrived on flat bilateral pitches and a bit of luck. The World Cup pressure has completely exposed him,” came from another.
Another fan wrote, “Can’t believe Abhishek Sharma looked invincible a few months back, no weakness, smashing every ball at his will. Few bad games and now he started swinging the bat blindly like Awais Zia. Very ugly innings!”
Another Indian fan wondered, “Why isn’t Sanju Samson replacing Abhishek Sharma or Tilak Varma? Both are struggling badly, and there’s also a left-right combination issue.”
“Abhishek Sharma totally disappointed, such a slogger going after every ball to hit a boundary,” posted another.
“How Abhishek Sharma is looking clueless, swinging all around. What felt like the strongest point has become the weak link,” another fan posted.
India vs South Africa
While chasing 188, the Men in Blue are 88/8 after 15 overs. Keshav Maharaj dismissed Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh in the same over after the drinks break. Then, he dismissed Arshdeep Singh in the same over as well.
Things looked extremely tight for India as the batters struggled to clear the boundary. India eventually got bundled out for 111 and lost by 76 runs, with Shivam Dube being the highest scorer (42).
