India's 76-run defeat to South Africa in the Super Eight stage of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 has sharpened focus on India's opener Abhishek Sharma,
who is now at the centre of a growing tactical dilemma.
Abhishek's rough patch continued in Ahmedabad, where South Africa executed a clear plan to disrupt his attacking rhythm.
Speaking on JioHotstar's 'Match Centre Live', JioStar expert Irfan Pathan dissected India's top-order struggles, particularly against spin and pace variations, and hinted at difficult conversations ahead as the defending champions enter a must-win phase.
Abhishek Sharma under sustained pressure
Pathan noted that the South Africa bowlers avoided predictability, mixing pace, length and angles to deny the left-hander any scoring pattern.
"It was a real struggle for Abhishek Sharma in this game. We've seen that he has gotten out to off-spinners twice in the last two matches. However, here the bowlers didn't just stick to one pace or one line. If you look closely, no two consecutive deliveries were the same, and Abhishek Sharma didn't seem to have an answer to that.
"Whenever a player adopts such an aggressive approach, teams always plan specifically against him. Nathan Ellis showed that when Abhishek toured Australia. He used all sorts of deliveries against him, back-of-the-hand slower ones, fuller balls, and mixed them well with bouncers.
"It almost felt like the South African bowlers took a leaf out of Ellis' book and applied it on a grassy wicket in Ahmedabad, with pace, variations, disciplined lines, and constant changes to keep him unsettled," Pathan observed.
Despite this, Pathan cautioned against a knee-jerk change. "There will be a lot of talk about changes. The question will be whether you replace Abhishek Sharma. Will you bring in Sanju Samson in his place? If I were part of that dressing room, I would still back Abhishek Sharma. The issue is that just two games are left, and you have to win both.
"If you drop a player now and bring in someone new, and that player doesn't perform either, then you create a bigger problem. So you would want to persist with him. He's the number one T20 batter, and he should be backed through the tournament. "
With only two matches remaining in the Super Eight stage, India's management must weigh continuity against urgency.
