Former India captain Ajinkya Rahane has praised Abhishek Sharma’s aggressive attitude at the top, arguing that occasional failures are a necessary trade-off if India wants to avoid relying too heavily on one batter leading into the T20 World Cup in 2026. However, the Mumbai cricketer believes Abhishek Sharma should bat with a high-risk mentality while also picking his strikes carefully.
Rahane’s comments came following India’s 50-run loss to New Zealand in the Vizag T20I, which exposed the batting unit on a rare off day despite the hosts having already secured the series. Abhishek’s golden duck while chasing a daunting 216 sparked immediate concern, particularly about how the team runs when the opener’s energetic approach fails to pay off.
The former India captain emphasized that such results are typical of courageous T20 cricket, particularly from players charged with setting the pace during the powerplay. However, Rahane has expressed concern that if such golden ducks appear during critical games in the T20 World Cup, the Men in Blue will suffer significantly.
“With Abhishek Sharma, this is going to happen. He plays a high-risk game. When it comes off, he’ll be a match-winner we all know that. But there will be times when he gets out for zero, even first ball. That can happen in a World Cup. I thought the Indian batting today wasn’t dependent on Abhishek Sharma alone. Collectively, they were very good. They played with seven batters, and you could clearly see the difference that having seven instead of eight makes in a side,” Rahane expressed via Cricbuzz.
On the second ball of the chase, in the fourth match, he perished trying to launch Matt Henry into the crowd early – but only succeeded in feathering an edge through to Devon Conway at deep point. His early exit sparked a top-order collapse, with Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson also dismissed cheaply as India struggled to keep pace with the asking rate.
Despite the loss in Vizag, Abhishek’s series has been nothing less than fabulous. He has scored 152 runs in four games with an average of 50.66 and a scorching strike rate of 266.66, making him the third-highest run-scorer. His 14-ball half-century in the Raipur T20I, the second-fastest by an Indian, highlighted his ability to turn games on their head during the powerplay.
India’s team composition in Vizag also dictated how the innings unfolded. With Ishan Kishan sitting out due to a niggle from the previous game, the hosts effectively went in with six specialist batsmen, choosing to strengthen their bowling by including Arshdeep Singh in the playing XI.
However, the middle order showed fight and intent. Rinku Singh, promoted to No. 4, steadied the innings with a composed 39 off 30 balls, while Shivam Dube launched a brutal counterattack that briefly threatened to change the narrative.
Dube smote seven sixes and three fours in his 23-ball 65, taking India from 82 for five to 145 for six, outdoing even Hardik Pandya’s once-in-a-blue-moon off day. But the late flourish, however thrilling, was not enough to hunt down the target and handed India a stunning blow that narrowed their series lead to 3-1.
Although the Vizag setback did reveal some chinks, Rahane’s argument points to a bigger picture in which India are consciously stress-testing their batting resources. With the T20 World Cup set to begin on February 7, these difficult nights could prove just as important as the comfortable victories.
