T20 World Cup: Ravi Shastri backs Abhishek Sharma to bounce back despite twin ducks

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has backed struggling opener Abhishek Sharma to bounce back from his lean patch after the left-hander registered another failure in India’s T20 World Cup 2026 game against Pakistan in Colombo on Sunday.

Abhishek was dismissed for a four-ball duck yesterday, marking his second consecutive duck in the ongoing tournament and his third in the last five T20I innings.

The No. 1-ranked T20I batter in the world is yet to score a run in the 2026 World Cup. His last T20I fifty came six innings ago when he scored an unbeaten 68 against New Zealand in Guwahati.

Speaking to Sanjana Ganesan as per the International Cricket Council website, Shastri expressed confidence that the young opener will rediscover his rhythm soon, stressing the need for patience at the crease.

"I think he's due, but he just has to give himself a little bit of time. Such things happen, and you can go off the boil, but he's just got to give himself a little more time until he gets back on track. Because for him to convert those dot balls later on into boundaries and sixes, is not difficult," Shastri said.

While Abhishek struggled, Ishan Kishan starred with the bat, hammering 77 off 40 balls to power India to a 61-run victory over Pakistan and earn the Player of the Match award. It was his second successive half-century in the T20 World Cup 2026.

Shastri lauded Kishan’s form and his ability to adapt to the challenging conditions in Colombo, highlighting the quality of his striking on a difficult surface.

"He's batting like a dream at the moment. Striking on that track (Colombo pitch) at close to 200 is unreal. Every batter didn't find it easy, whether it was Indian or Pakistani, because the ball was stopping and for him to strike the way he did, and what I liked was how quickly he assessed the conditions," Shastri said.

Following the win, Abhishek’s sister, Komal Sharma, also expressed strong confidence in the team’s performance and title chances.

“Everyone played very well, and we are very happy. I already knew that India would win," Komal stated.

“There is no doubt that we will be the world champions," she added.

The victory was India’s third consecutive win in the tournament after earlier wins over the USA and Namibia.

The defending champions have now secured their place in the next round of the biennial event and will look to go all the way in the pinnacle tournament of the shortest format on familiar territory.

(With inputs from ANI)