No redemption for Abhishek Sharma as his poor form continues in South Africa

India started the South Africa tour with a 61-run win against the hosts, thanks to a record-breaking ton by Sanju Samson. However, Samson’s opening partner in the game, Abhishek Sharma, has drawn scrutiny over his performance. The young batter joined the Indian team on the back of his blazing performance for IPL 2024 runners-up, Sunrisers Hyderabad. However, having played eight T20I innings for India so far, the youngster has managed just 166 runs, a figure strikingly contrasting to the wonders he displayed in IPL 2024. Debuting on the Zimbabwe tour, Sharma hit his maiden T20I ton in the second clash of the series. However, the opener’s bat has remained quiet ever since. The string of low scores has now pushed Sharma under scrutiny from fans.

Abhishek Sharma continues his poor run in T20Is for India

Abhishek Sharma joined the Indian team for the shortest format after scripting a splendid performance in IPL 2024. The batter, who debuted during the Zimbabwe tour earlier this year, got chances in the subsequent Bangladesh series and now the South Africa tour, as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill are busy with the Test season. However, barring the ton Sharma hit in the second T20I of the Zimbabwe series, he has been consistently failing up the order. Paired with Sanju Samson in the opening position, Sharma has scored 14, 15, 16, 4, and 7 in his last five T20I outings. While India scripted a series whitewash over Bangladesh at home, Sharma made no impact with the bat on the team’s performance.

Fans expected the youngster to pick up form against South Africa, but Sharma failed once again as he departed for a paltry 7 off 8 in Durban. In his last six innings, Abhishek hasn’t even faced 12 balls in a single outing. As India’s recent go-to opener in T20Is, he has managed just 166 runs in nine innings, averaging a modest 20.75. While fans grow impatient with Sharma, the opener is likely to continue in the Playing XI for the next three T20Is against South Africa. Despite his international struggles, Abhishek hit the jackpot during the IPL 2025 retention, securing a massive INR 14-crore deal with Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of the mega auction. He was instrumental in SRH’s journey to the final last season, amassing 484 runs across 16 games at an extraordinary strike rate of 204.22.