In a pulsating encounter against Pakistan at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium, Indian opener Abhishek Sharma endured yet another dismal outing, dismissed for a golden duck. The 25-year-old, returning from a stomach infection that sidelined him against Namibia, faced just four deliveries before perishing, caught off Salman Agha’s bowling by Shaheen Afridi.
This heartbreak marks Abhishek’s second duck in as many T20 World Cup matches. He had fallen to the first ball against USA earlier, failing to open his account. Stretching further, the young batter has now endured four ducks in his last six T20I innings, with only sporadic flashes of brilliance like an unbeaten 68 off 20 against New Zealand interrupting the sequence.
India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, made two changes for this high-stakes clash: Abhishek replacing Sanju Samson and Kuldeep Yadav in for Arshdeep Singh. The lineup featured Ishan Kishan as keeper, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Jasprit Bumrah.
Pakistan, unchanged under Salman Agha, fielded Sam Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Usman Khan (wk), Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmad, and Usman Tariq.
History favors India in T20Is against Pakistan, with seven wins in eight meetings. Meanwhile, the venue’s recent trend shows teams batting first winning all three World Cup games here, reversing prior chasing dominance.
Abhishek’s struggles raise questions about his form ahead in the tournament, but India’s depth offers hope for a strong comeback.