Former South African captain AB de Villiers has urged out-of-form Abhishek Sharma to work on his game, like Virat Kohli ahead of IPL 2026. Sharma bagged three consecutive ducks in the group stage of T20 World Cup 2026.
Subsequently, he was dismissed for 15 runs off 12 balls against South Africa in the Super 8 stage clash. The left-hander then scored 55 runs off 30 balls against Zimbabwe whereas he bagged another low score of 10 runs against the West Indies.
The southpaw was dismissed for nine runs against England in the semifinal however he scored a crucial knock of 52 runs off 21 balls against New Zealand in the summit clash.
AB de Villiers said on Star Sports, “When you are feeling the pressure externally, you just have to keep working on your own game. That’s one of the things I saw in Virat in all those years. He would constantly analyze his own game, and that’s where Abhishek is at now.”
AB asked Abhishek to embrace and love the pressure and come out on top in the upcoming season.
“Don’t suffocate because of the pressure. Instead, embrace it and love it. Go back to the nets and be that child again, who loves the game and has passion for it, to figure out new things about yourself. If he has that kind of mindset, he is going to be just fine.”
On the other hand, former Indian captain Anil Kumble said Abhishek Sharma should be mindful of what he should not do and wants the left-hander to adjust his game against off-spin.
“One thing he would have possibly adjusted to now is off-spin. To become a great player or being consistent, what is critical is not what you can do but what you should not do, and how you can control that in your mind will be the key. That’s the shift Abhishek Sharma has to do. He is already the No.1 T20I batter and dominates the bowlers, putting fear in them as to what the next ball should be,” said Kumble (via the aforementioned source).
“The style with which he goes, relying on the intimidation factor, it’s very difficult to have consistent batting performances. He has enjoyed playing for SRH because it’s the kind of lineup where you have the freedom to bat freely.”
The IPL 2026 season will begin with reigning champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Ahmedabad on March 28.
