Suryakumar Yadav, Team India’s captain, jokingly examined opener Abhishek Sharma’s pockets during a practice session in Ahmedabad ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 stage. He was probably looking to see if the swashbuckling batter had a piece of paper in his pocket.
After getting his maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) ton in the 2025 edition, Abhishek removed a note from his pocket that said, ‘This one is for the Orange Army. Suryakumar taunted the 25-year-old by searching for a similar message in his pocket.
Here’s a video from the incident:
Suryakumar checked Abhishek Sharma's pocket before the Africa match.💀
Something big is cooking 👀 pic.twitter.com/wLjoA2umoX
— muffatball vikrant (@Vikrant_1589) February 20, 2026Batting is an area that Abhishek Sharma has been accused of after three consecutive ducks in the T20 World Cup 2026. The southpaw does not secure a run in the title match where he loses wickets to the United States of America (USA), Pakistan and the Netherlands. He missed the team game against Namibia due to a stomach disease.
The team headed by Suryakumar Yadav has gone through the competition without defeat. They will open the Super 8 stage on Sunday, February 22, against South Africa in the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.
“Try to play some balls” – Indian legend’s suggestion to Abhishek Sharma amid T20 World Cup 2026 form slump
Abhishek Sharma was expected to have a major role in the batting order of India at the T20 world cup 2026. Nevertheless, he has not shown up at the side. The former opener Virender Sehwag emphasized that a hitter must first afford his time before making attempts to drive such massive blows.
Sehwag stated that Abhishek had passed away due to the selection of shots to make. He gave his own case as an example to show that a comeback was possible after a couple of bad performances. The former cricketer, who has become a commentator, said Cricbuzz:
“It was a ball to be hit but he missed it. I have been in his shoes, making 2-3 zeroes, but making a comeback is not that difficult because it is just about the mindset. It is about shot selection, which is where he is making a mistake. The expectations from him are to score right away, and he may make a mistake. But he should play some balls while he is not scoring runs, try to play some balls.”
Abhishek Sharma is currently rated first in the ICC rankings for T20I batsmen. He has 1,297 runs in 40 T20I innings at an incredible strike rate of 192.43. The strain is rising on him after being out for a duck five times in the last seven games.
