India's bowling coach Morne Morkel has backed opener Abhishek Sharma despite his string of low scores in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. The 25-year-old has recorded three ducks in three innings, but the team has made it clear that his place in the side is not under threat. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Morkel dismissed suggestions that Sharma could be dropped for the Super 8 match against the South Africa national cricket team on Sunday in Ahmedabad.
“Absolutely no discussion in our team group about that. He is a world-class player. So far in the tournament, luckily, we’ve had other guys standing up with Abhishek not scoring the runs you would like," Morkel told the media.
“We’re going through a very important phase of the World Cup now, and I’m pretty sure he’s going to deliver. Not just for the team, but also for all the viewers watching the game, because he’s entertaining and we love to see that. He’s hitting the ball well in the nets. It’s just a matter of getting that start and getting his innings going," Morkel added.
The young left-hander’s string of failures has equalled the record for most ducks by an Indian in T20 World Cups, joining Ashish Nehra. Overall, Shahid Afridi of Pakistan and Tillakaratne Dilshan of Sri Lanka hold the record with five ducks. India’s team management will hope Sharma recovers his form before the Super 8 stage of the tournament, as the defending champions cannot afford prolonged struggles from their top-order batsmen. In 2026 alone, Sharma has now recorded five T20I ducks, matching Sanju Samson’s record for most in a calendar year.
India v Netherlands | Match Highlights | Men's T20 World Cup 2026
