Indian batters had a red-hot run in the lead-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup , with opening batters Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan setting the tone. However, once the competition kicked off, the opening duo
haven’t clicked in unison, with Abhishek in the midst of a slump that has seen him register three ducks in a row. At the other end, though, Ishan extended the superb form he showed in January when he made his India comeback.
However, after two blistering half-centuries, Ishan has managed just 18 and a duck in his last two innings. As for Abhishek, although he ended his string of ducks by opening his World Cup account against South Africa on Sunday, he is yet to make a significant contribution.
Teams have found a way to neutralise the two left-handed batters: deploy off-spin in the very first over, and it has paid rich dividends. With India now needing big wins to qualify for the semi-finals after suffering a 76-run defeat, their return to form has become imperative.
“It’s going to be a very uncomfortable discussion between Ishan Kishan and Abhishek as to who takes the strike because suddenly he has passed the baton of the zeroes to Ishan Kishan, someone who was in prime form,” quipped former India cricketer and assistant coach Abhishek Nayar on JioHotstar.
Nayar dissected how an off-spinner can use the extra bounce to his advantage, creating doubts and forcing batters into committing mistakes.
“…this is a problem for India. There is definitely going to be a discussion about how they can overcome an off-spinner bowling to them because, keep in mind, when they take on the West Indies as well, Roston Chase is going to bowl in the powerplay to them. So, they will want to come back with better plans,” he said.
“With the newer ball, when you hit the seam at times as a finger spinner, you can get that extra bounce – and that’s the tricky part. If it’s slightly slower in the air, like we saw there, and the ball hits the seam and deviates even a bit, that’s enough in T20 cricket to get you out because it creates doubt and can earn you a wicket,” he added.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan feels that bowlers have used variations to unsettle Abhishek, who has been ultra-aggressive in his approach.
“It was a real struggle for Abhishek Sharma in this game (against South Africa),” Pathan said. “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 didn’t seem to have an answer to that.”
Irfan felt Australia pacer Nathan Ellis has given bowlers around the world a template on how to prevent Abhishek from playing his shots.
“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,” he said.
