Abhishek Sharma suddenly lost control over his form. Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, the opener was in fabulous form. He entered the tournament with high hopes on the back.
So far, Team India has played three matches in the tournament, and Sharma played in two and is yet to make a run in the 2026 T20 World Cup. Ahead of India’s next assignment, which is against the Netherlands on February 18, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak put a safeguard in front of the batter.
Abhishek Sharma was in fine form before the T20 World Cup 2026
Before the tournament, when Team India was engaged with New Zealand for a 5-match T20I series, the southpaw scored a truck full of runs, which has naturally escalated hopes around him for the ongoing title race, where Team India is playing as the co-host, as well as the defending champion.
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The first Team India and the Indian cricket fans sustained when Abhishek Sharma departed for a golden duck against the United States cricket team. The USA placed a fielder on the square, where the left-handed batter loves to hit the most.
Against Pakistan, the result did not change. Sharma had to go home again without scoring a single run. On February 15, when India was up against Pakistan in Colombo, Salman Ali Agha dismissed the dangerous Indian batter.
Sitanshu Kotak explains the scenario
But why did Abhishek suddenly lose his form when he was performing smoothly? During the press conference on Tuesday, Team India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak stated that because of the illness, the batter lost the momentum. But he does not want to stress too much over the form of Sharma, considering a long-term vision.
“He made runs before falling ill. It is a high-risk game. If we stress too much about a few failures, the pressure will be carried to the batters as well,” Kotak said ahead of the India vs. Netherlands match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The Indian team management had to change their opening pair for their clash against Namibia because of the illness of Abhishek Sharma. The 25-year-old sustained an upset stomach before India’s opening match of the tournament. He might have eaten something wrong in Mumbai, which affected his stomach.
Abhishek Sharma admitted to hospital
According to the reports, the health condition of the opener worsened during the India vs. United States game. After the quick dismissal, he did not even come to take the fields in the second innings. Later, for the second match, he traveled to Delhi for the next match but was unable to because of the stomach issue.
Tilak Varma further informed that Sharma was admitted to the hospital for medical care. The Punjab-born player returned to action through the India vs. Pakistan match, only to be dismissed again for a duck.