T20 World Cup 2026: Fans roar as Abhishek Sharma opens his account in marquee event after 3 ducks in a row

Abhishek Sharma came into the Super 8 clash against South Africa after registering three consecutive ducks in the group stage. The Indian opener would have been desperate to get going, and he opened his account with a boundary at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, February 22.

After Aiden Markram dismissed the in-form Ishan Kishan in the first over, the onus was on Abhishek to get going as India were chasing a stiff 188-run target. Abhishek got strike to face the last ball of the over. Markram bowled a short ball outside off-stump, and the southpaw played a square cut that went for a boundary.

The fans at the Narendra Modi Stadium had been silent after Kishan’s wicket, but Abhishek’s boundary gave them a fresh lease on life.

Check out the video below:

The boundary gave Abhishek confidence, and he hit Kagiso Rabada for a cheeky six in the third over. The 25-year-old used the pace of the South African speedster and ramped it over Quinton de Kock for a maximum.

However, the joy for Abhishek and the Indian fans was short-lived as the flamboyant batter perished in the penultimate over of the power play, trying to loft Marco Jansen for a six over mid-wicket. The Punjab batter did get height, but not much distance on the ball. Keshav Maharaj and Corbin Bosch started running to catch the ball. It seemed that they would collide at one point,, but Bosch kept his eyes on the ball and took a sensational catch to give the Proteas a massive wicket. Abhishek’s knock yielded 15 off 12 balls.