T20 World Cup: India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel has expressed strong faith in opener Abhishek Sharma, who is enduring a lean patch in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, as India gear up for their first Super 8 clash against the South Africa national cricket team at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.The world No. 1 T20I batter is yet to open his account in the tournament. Abhishek began his campaign with a golden duck against the United States, followed by early dismissals against Pakistan and the Netherlands. On each occasion, he fell within the first two overs while attempting aggressive strokes before settling in.
The sequence has placed Abhishek alongside Ashish Nehra for the most ducks by an Indian in T20 World Cup history, highlighting a rare slump for one of India’s most explosive batters.
Despite the poor run, Morkel made it clear that the team management is not concerned about Abhishek’s form and that there have been no discussions regarding his place in the side. He added that the left-hander has been working hard in the nets and is striking the ball well ahead of the crucial encounter.
“Absolutely no discussion in our team group about that. Abhishek is a world-class player. So far in the tournament, fortunately, there have been guys stepping up while Abhishek hasn’t been able to score the runs he would like,” Morkel said at the pre-match press conference.
Abhishek has featured in eight matches against South Africa, scoring 200 runs against the Proteas, including one half-century against the 2024 World Cup runners-up.
Article Source: IANS
