Ravi Shastri Backs Abhishek Sharma to Overcome Lean Patch

Ravi Shastri urges Abhishek Sharma to stay patient after back-to-back ducks in the T20 World Cup 2026.

Abhishek Sharma walks back to the pavilion after being dismissed by Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha.

IMAGE: Abhishek Sharma walks back to the pavilion after being dismissed by Pakistan Captain Salman Ali Agha during the T20 World Cup Group game on Sunday, February 15, 2026. Photograph: Lahiru Harshana/Reuters

Ravi Shastri believes star Indian opener Abhishek Sharma needs to 'give himself a little bit of time' amid his lean patch, after the left-hand batter faced another batting failure during the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match on Sunday at Colombo.

Key Points

The world No. 1-ranked T20I batter has scored two consecutive ducks in the 2026 T20 World Cup, including a four-ball duck vs Pakistan in Colombo.
Abhishek has three ducks in his last five T20Is; his previous fifty came six innings ago New Zealand in Guwahati.
'He's just got to give himself a little more time until he gets back on track.'

The No. 1-ranked T20I batter in the world is yet to score a run in the 2026 T20 World Cup having been dismissed for two ducks in the tournament.

Abhishek got out for a four-ball duck against Pakistan in Colombo, a second consecutive duck in the tournament, and his third in his last five T20I innings.

Abhishek's last T20I fifty was six innings ago, when he made an unbeaten 68 against New Zealand in Guwahati.

Former head coach Shastri expressed confidence that Abhishek will bounce back soon.

'I think he's due, but he just has to give himself a little bit of time. Such things happen, and you can go off the boil, but he's just got to give himself a little more time until he gets back on track. Because for him to convert those dot balls later on into boundaries and sixes, is not difficult,' Shastri told Sanjana Ganesan in an interview for the International Cricket Council.

Ishan Kishan, who put up a brilliant show against Pakistan, hammering 77 off just 40 balls to help India secure a 61 run win and eventually won the Player of the Match award, earned high praise from Shastri. It marked Ishan's second successive half-century in the T20 World Cup 2026.

'He's batting like a dream at the moment. Striking on that track at close to 200 is unreal. Every batter didn't find it easy, whether it was Indian or Pakistani, because the ball was stopping and for him to strike the way he did, and what I liked was how quickly he assessed the conditions,' Shastri said.