Abhishek Sharma Sets Unwanted Record with Three Consecutive Ducks in T20 World Cup
Indian opener and top-ranked T20I batter Abhishek Sharma faced a disappointing moment during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Group A match against the Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday, as he was dismissed for a three-ball duck.
Sharma's early exit came courtesy of Netherlands spinner Aryan Dutt, who took him out in the very first over. This marks Sharma's third consecutive duck in the tournament, following similar performances against the USA and Pakistan in previous group matches. The left-handed batsman has yet to score in the T20 World Cup.
With this latest dismissal, Sharma has now accumulated five ducks in T20Is in 2026, placing him among the openers with the highest number of ducks in a single calendar year in the shortest format. Notably, Pakistan's Saim Ayub holds the record with six ducks in 2025. Sharma's five ducks tie him with Chaloemwong Chatphaisan (Thailand, 2024), Kushal Bhurtel (Nepal, 2024), Dharma Kesuma (Indonesia, 2025), and Parvez Hossain Emon (Bangladesh, 2025), all of whom also have five ducks.
In the same match, India's Shivam Dube stepped up with a remarkable half-century, propelling his team to a total of 193/6 against the Netherlands in their final group stage game of the T20 World Cup on Wednesday in Ahmedabad. Dube achieved his first fifty in the T20 World Cup in just 25 balls, scoring 66 runs off 31 deliveries, which included 4 fours and 6 sixes. He formed a crucial partnership of 76 runs for the fifth wicket with Hardik Pandya.
India's captain, Suryakumar Yadav, won the toss and chose to bat first. Unfortunately for Sharma, his struggles continued with three matches resulting in three ducks. After two consecutive zeroes, he appeared anxious and attempted to regain form, but Dutt's delivery slipped past his bat, hitting the stumps. Dutt also dismissed Ishan Kishan (18), leaving India at 51/2 after the powerplay.
Roelof van der Merwe, aged 41, made a spectacular diving catch at long-off, ending the promising partnership between Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma (31), leaving India at 74/3 after 10 overs.
After a few quiet overs, India shifted gears in the 12th over, with Yadav hitting a six on the leg side. Dube then joined the attack, hitting two sixes and a four, contributing to a total of 19 runs in the 13th over. Despite Yadav's departure for 34 runs, Dube continued to dominate the bowling attack.
In the final five overs, India accelerated their scoring, adding 75 runs to surpass the 190 mark. For the Netherlands, Logan van Beek (3/56), Aryan Dutt (2/19), and Kyle Klein (1/38) were the standout bowlers.