Abhishek Sharma could not have imagine a worse start to his maiden T20 World Cup after dominating the format for over a year and entering the competition as the world’s No. 1 batter. Things, however, have not panned out the way the Punjab opener would have loved to as he now bears the dubious record of being one of only three men ever to bag three successive ducks in the T20 World Cup.
Abhishek opened the tournament with a golden duck against the USA in Mumbai before being ruled out of the second game in Delhi with an upset stomach. Last week, he returned for the high-stakes clash against Pakistan and fell for a four-ball duck to Salman Agha’s part-time off-spin in the first over. The script turned horrendous in Ahmedabad on Wednesday when the left-hander’s leg-stump was uprooted by Netherlands spinner Aryan Dutt in the first over. The streak of failures has now raised questions from former India batter, Mohammed Kaif, who picked up on the hard-hitting Abhishek’s technical weaknesses.
“Look, when he got out for zero twice, it was understandable. Okay, back-to-back dismissals happen. Anyone can get out twice. But the third time, and in the same way, that raises questions,” Kaif remarked on YouTube.
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“In his career, whether you consider his junior career, U-16, U-19, or IPL, I don’t think he has ever gotten out for three ducks. Two times, fine, that can happen, but three times? Not opening your account at all raises questions about technique and mindset for upcoming matches.”
Kaif noted how Abhishek’s penchant to swing hard while standing on his back foot is leading him to false shots.
Two of Abhishek’s ducks have come against the off-spinner in the first over. Agha’s ball skidded onto him, Dutt’s ball was back of length, quicker through the air and turning into him with the angle from wide off the crease.
“If you watch all three dismissals, he’s playing shots off the back foot. His weight transfer, his approach: a stable base, high back lift, trying to hit big. Now, on the world stage, people are studying him, analyzing his videos, and bowlers are coming prepared,” Kaif added.
