Abhishek Sharma’s dismissal in India’s second T20I against Zimbabwe on Saturday was, paradoxically, both an anomaly and entirely familiar.
An anomaly because of how it unfolded. Sharma – the world’s No. 1-ranked T20I batter not too long ago – meekly pushed a Blessing Muzarabani delivery straight to Ryan Burl at backward point. Stripped of context, it could easily have passed for a routine fielding drill. This manner of departure – on a whimper, and not aplomb – is not in synchronisation with the southpaw’s batting style. But while it seems like an exception in isolation, it was the 10th time in his last 17 T20Is that Sharma had fallen for 10 or fewer, raising fresh questions about how long the ‘longer rope’ the team management has given him is.
Sharma’s form took a nosedive during the initial stages of this year’s T20 World Cup, wherein he was dismissed for a duck on three consecutive occasions. The rut effectively ended with a 55 against this very opposition, but perhaps Zimbabwe seemed intent on testing whether the revival was real. Accordingly, they began the bowling with Sikandar Raza – a right-arm everything spinner, bowling off-spin on this particular occasion, which proved to be Sharma’s Achilles’ heel at the World Cup.
The plan did not reap rewards, as the opener struck two boundaries off that first over. Both were in the extra cover region, but the manner of shots was contrasting – the first was lofted with elegance, the second was slapped with disdain. The promise, however, proved fleeting. An over later, Muzarabani dismissed him with a delivery that was far from the best he bowled all afternoon.
Abhishek Sharma’s numbers in T20Is:
| Period | Runs | Matches | Average | Strike Rate | 50s | 100s |
| Before 2026 T20 World Cup | 1297 | 38 | 37.05 | 194.74 | 8 | 2 |
| Since 2026 T20 World Cup | 330 | 17 | 19.41 | 165 | 3 | 0 |
Sharma’s numbers have significantly steered south since the T20 World Cup. His average – 37.05 before the competition – is now 19.41. Not that he has not altered his approach in a desperate bid to extend his stays in the middle, either. His strike rate, which was nearly 200 till this February, has deteriorated to 165 in the last half-year.
Scrutiny over Sharma’s place in the side, therefore, would hardly be misplaced – not only because of his own prolonged struggles, but also because of the standards India have applied to their other top-order batters. Sanju Samson, the undisputed showstopper from the T20 World Cup with scores of 97*, 89 and 89 in the quarter-final, semi-final and final respectively, was given only three opportunities after the tournament before being axed from the Zimbabwe squad. Ishan Kishan, though retained, was demoted to the number three slot after underwhelming displays against the Netherlands and South Africa.
With every puzzle of the great Indian cricketing jigsaw being transient and movable, there has been an element of permanence and immobility about Abhishek Sharma. For how long, though, is the question.
