Star India batter Abhishek Sharma has received golden advice from legendary Australia captain Ricky Ponting ahead of India’s semi-final clash against England in the T20 World Cup 2026. The India opener has endured a poor tournament so far, scoring just 80 runs from six innings.
Abhishek registered three successive ducks at the start of the competition, followed by a laboured 15 off 12 balls against South Africa. However, he eventually rediscovered some rhythm against Zimbabwe, producing a quickfire 55 off 30 deliveries, only to fall cheaply once more for 10 off 11 balls against West Indies.
Amid his lean run of form, Ponting has advised the star batter to avoid spending excessive time practising in the nets.
“Sometimes, when you’re going through a bit of a slump like that, it’s not always best just to go into the nets every day and bat for an hour and a half. Sometimes it’s better to let these guys have a couple of days away to mentally freshen up. The skills don’t go anywhere. You don’t lose your skills,” Ponting said on the ICC Review.
He also mentioned that Abhishek would benefit from almost starving himself of batting practice and backed him to deliver in the semi-final.
“But in a tournament like this, when you’re consistently and constantly under pressure and the results aren’t coming, sometimes just leaving your bag zipped up, turning up to training, getting a little bit of bowling done, getting your fielding done, but not actually batting — almost starving yourself of going back into the nets — can help. I think Abhishek’s got something up his sleeve for the semi-final,” he added.
How has Abhishek performed against England?
Abhishek has an excellent record against England in T20Is, having scored 278 runs from five innings at an average of 55.80 and a strike rate of 219.68, with one century and one half-century to his name. In his last innings against the Three Lions, he registered the third-fastest century in T20Is among Full Member nations, reaching the milestone off just 37 balls.
He went on to record the highest score of his T20I career, playing a belligerent innings of 135 off 54 deliveries, studded with seven fours and 13 sixes. With the all-important semi-final against England set to be played at the same venue in Mumbai, fans will be hoping that Abhishek returns to his very best in the upcoming fixture.
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