Abhishek Sharma’s troubles against spin in the powerplay have become a growing concern in the T20 World Cup 2026. The southpaw has registered three consecutive ducks, two of them falling to spinners. Pakistan’s Salman Agha and Netherlands’ Aryan Dutt dismissed the opener in the past two matches, exposing a vulnerability India must address before their Super Eights clash against South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 22.
In the meantime, the Proteas have already started to plan tackle Abhishek. During the practice session on match day minus two, captain Aiden Markram was seen bowling round the wicket to a left-handed batter. He was attempting to recreate the Aryan Dutt delivery that got the better of Abhishek in the past match. Keshav Maharaj too trained hard in the nets and that indicates that they will bank on the spinners heavily in the powerplay.
India back Abhishek to find form
Despite three consecutive ducks, there’s no question about dropping Abhishek for Sanju Samson. The Punjab batter is expected to find form soon and return to his best, something that was evident in the past year, which helped him rise to become the number-one-ranked T20I batter.
However, India are expected to make a change in the clash against South Africa. Axar Patel, who was benched in the previous game, could mark his return, replacing Washington Sundar. Apart from that, the Suryakumar Yadav-led side is set to field an unchanged XI.
Meanwhile, the heavyweight clash could very well decide the fate of Group A of the Super Eights. The winner is expected to take the top spot, even though nothing is certain in T20I cricket any longer. Zimbabwe and West Indies, two more unbeaten teams in the competition, can pull off an upset as well.
For South Africa, they could be extra motivated, given India beat them in the final of the T20 World Cup 2024. Regardless, a heavyweight clash is on the cards in Ahmedabad.
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