Virender Sehwag Dissects Abhishek Sharma’s Duck Against Netherlands in T20 World Cup 2026

Abhishek Sharma endured his third straight duck as Virender Sehwag analysed his dismissal in India’s win over the Netherlands.

Abhishek Sharma’s difficult run in the ongoing T20 World Cup worsened on Wednesday, February 18, as he registered his third consecutive duck. The young opener fell to Netherlands off-spinner Aryan Dutt at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Abhishek attempted to pull a delivery through mid-wicket but misread the length. The ball was not short enough and slipped under his bat, crashing into the stumps.

Former India opener Virender Sehwag said the delivery was there to be hit but stressed that mindset and shot selection were key areas Abhishek needed to address. Drawing from his own experience of scoring consecutive ducks, Sehwag advised the youngster to spend more time at the crease before playing attacking shots.

“It was a ball to be hit, but he missed it. I have been in his shoes, making 2-3 zeroes, but making a comeback is not that difficult because it is just about the mindset. It is about shot selection, which is where he is making a mistake. The expectations from him are to score right away, and he may make a mistake. But he should play some balls while he is not scoring runs, try to play some balls,” he said on Cricbuzz.

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Meanwhile, former India pacer Mohit Sharma felt that either Suryakumar Yadav or Tilak Varma should have accelerated during their partnership. The Mumbai Indians duo added only 30 runs off 28 balls, which slowed India’s momentum in the middle overs.

“You cannot be batting with the same strike rate all the time. Someone in the partnership has to decide when and how to counter. That is very important,” Mohit Sharma said.

Despite the early setbacks, India posted a competitive 193/6, powered by Shivam Dube’s explosive 66 off 31 balls. In reply, the Netherlands managed 176/7, with Varun Chakaravarthy picking up three wickets to seal the win for India.