Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has observed that there is a similar pattern in Abhishek Sharma’s dismissals in the last two games of the ongoing T20 World Cup. Sharma was once again dismissed for a duck against the Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
The left-hander is yet to get off the mark in the T20 World Cup 2026 and surely the pressure is rising on him. Pathan highlighted that the opposition’s off-spinners have bowled a stump line to Abhishek Sharma, which has kept the southpaw at bay.
Sharma was caught at deep cover against the USA but he was dismissed by Salman Ali Agha and Aryan Dutt in the last two games after the two off-spinners cramped him for room.
Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube Channel, “Abhishek Sharma has played three matches so far and is yet to open his account. The world’s No. 1 T20 batter comes into a World Cup with huge expectations. But this is not a bilateral series, this is the World Cup. Opposition teams plan specifically for you. In the first match, there was no clear pattern to his dismissal. But in the last two matches, a pattern has emerged. Off-spinners have bowled at the stumps, almost targeting the leg stump line, not giving him any room, and keeping the mid-on fielder inside the circle. Against Pakistan, he was dismissed by a part-time off-spinner. Then against Aryan Dutt, he was bowled in the very first over while playing across the line against off-spin.”
“At first, I felt there was no pattern. But when you get out in a similar manner twice, it means the opposition has a clear plan against you. The plan is simple: as an off-spinner, do not give him room. Today during commentary, I was discussing this with Harbhajan Singh. He used to bowl around the wicket to left-handers, angling the ball in. When a batter with a new ball is looking for turn, he can get trapped. That is what happened with Abhishek Sharma,” he added.
Speaking on Abhishek’s bat swing, Pathan noted the left-hander’s bat comes down at an angle and urged him to play in the V with a straight bat while playing against off-spinners.
“One reason is his bat swing. His bat comes from slightly outside, and when it comes down, it is not perfectly straight. It first moves outward and then tries to come straight, but it still comes slightly across the line. That is why he plays the square of the wicket very well. He creates room against fast bowlers and scores freely, especially square on both sides.”
“But if an off-spinner comes on, my advice to Abhishek Sharma would be this: expect that they will not give you room. If your bat naturally comes across, ideally you should try to play straight down the ground. However, if you do not want to change your natural pattern completely, then mentally you must be prepared to take a single when the ball is slightly wide. If the ball is pitched up, you can adjust even if your bat comes slightly across, because you can reach it with your feet and still play straight. The real danger is when the ball is on a length and you follow your natural instinct to go across the line. That is where you get trapped. You are not being given room, so you must recognize that plan,” he added.
India will take on South Africa in their opening game of the Super 8 stage at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Sunday.
