IND Vs PAK, T20 World Cup 2026: Shastri Advises Abhishek To ‘Give Himself Time’ After Duck Against Pakistan

IND vs PAK, T20 World Cup 2026: India opener Abhishek Sharma had a night to forget on Sunday during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup group-stage game against Pakistan in Colombo. Despite India running away with a 61-run win, Abhishek disappointed fans with a four-ball duck – his second of the tournament.

However, the 25-year-old southpaw – who remains the No. 1-ranked batter in T20Is – has been backed to turn around his fortunes by former India legend Ravi Shastri. The former cricketer advised Abhishek to show more patience at the start of his innings, adding, “I think he’s due, but he just has to give himself a little bit of time.”

Sunday’s win over their arch-rivals has put India top of Group A with a 100% record. However, Abhishek is yet to score in the two matches he has played so far. Against Pakistan, he miscued the last ball of the first over, off Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha, to mid-on for a duck.

Abhishek Sharma World Cup Record

Two innings, five deliveries, and no runs!

The left-handed batter was dismissed for a golden duck in India's campaign against the United States of America (USA) at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. After the failure in his World Cup debut, Sharma missed India’s second game against Namibia in Delhi due to a reported stomach infection.

Abhishek Sharma often takes the game away from the oppositions with his explosive batting. But the top-ranked T20I batter in the world is having a patchy run with the bat. He has been dismissed for ducks four times in his last seven T20I outings.

He became only the third player in T20 World Cup history to register back-to-back ducks in their first two games, after Bangladesh’s Imrul Kayes and former India pacer Ashish Nehra.

Shastri, however, feels that there’s no need for alarm, saying, “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,” the former head coach added.

‘Batting Like A Dream’: Shastri Hails Ishan Kishan

In the absence of runs flowing from Abhishek’s bat, it is fellow opener Ishan Kishan who has stepped up to the task. The left-hander smashed 77 off 40 balls against Pakistan to claim the Player of the Match award, registering his second consecutive half-century of the tournament.

“He’s batting like a dream at the moment,” Shastri said. “Striking on that (Colombo) track at close to 200 is unreal.”

Kishan is making all the right noises in this tournament. The 27-year-old had previously hit 20 against the USA and 61 against Namibia. With 158 runs, he has moved to second in the batting charts.

India rode on Kishan’s showing to post a total of 175/7, then dismissed Pakistan for 114 in 18 overs. The win not only extended India’s T20 World Cup head-to-head record against Pakistan to 8-1 but also helped seal a Super 8 spot, the second team to do so after the West Indies (from Group C).

With his opening partner dismissed in the first over, and the Premadasa Stadium pitch assisting spinners, Ishan Kishan was expected to measure the situation first.

But he wasted no time and raced to a 27-ball fifty. Consider this: Suryakumar Yadav’s 29-ball 32 was the second-highest in the innings.

“Every batter didn’t find it easy, whether it was Indian or Pakistani, because the ball was stopping,” Shastri said. “and for him (Kishan) to strike the way he did, and what I liked was how quickly he assessed the conditions.”

India’s Next Match At T20 World Cup 2026

The Suryakumar Yadav-led ’Men in Blue’ will head to Ahmedabad to take on the Netherlands on Wednesday. The defending champions will play their first Super 8 match at the same venue on Sunday.

Pakistan, meanwhile, will need to beat Namibia in their final group match at the Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo, to move ahead of the USA in Group A standings and qualify for the next stage as the second-place team.