Pakistan’s veteran pacer Mohammad Amir has issued a stern warning to India opener Abhishek Sharma after the batsman recorded three consecutive ducks in the opening match of the 2026 T20 World Cup. Amir had called Abhishek a “hard hitter” before last Sunday’s high-profile match between India and Pakistan in Colombo, and the batsman’s early struggles have drawn even more attention. In India’s final Group A match against Netherlands on Wednesday, Abhishek fell on the third ball of Aryan Dutt’s first over. Trying to play a pull shot, he lost to the pace as the ball slipped through and hit the stumps. The dismissal was the player’s third duck in as many matches, having taken just eight deliveries across the three matches.
With this, Abhishek has equaled Ashish Nehra as the record for most ducks by an Indian in a T20 World Cup. Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi and Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan topped the overall list with five ducks each. Speaking on Pakistani program game on highAmir drew parallels between Abhishek’s early struggles and those faced by Pakistan opener Saim Ayub during his early PSL campaign. He emphasized that young batsmen are quickly tested by good bowlers who find their technical flaws. “Simu had the same problem when he came to play in the PSL a few years ago. He was a rookie and was hitting no-look shots. Most of his shots were on the leg side, so no one knew his weakness. Now he’s bowling on the third or fourth stump line. Then he has trouble making decisions. Even in the last two games he was sent off for playing offside. He cannot progress unless he improves his offside game. Strong bowlers always test your weaknesses and push you out of your comfort zone. Speaking about Abhishek in particular, he said, “Abhishek is the same. He wants to slot every ball so that he can bat. But in bigger stages and ODIs, har ball rapete main nahi re sakte (You can’t hit every ball in pressure cricket). Salman Agha and Aryan Dutt got him out in a similar way. International cricket will expose you.” India will be hoping that Abhishek can overcome this slump and regain his rhythm ahead of the Super 8 stage.
