In a stunning flip of occasions in the course of the high-octane T20 World Cup 2026 conflict between India and Pakistan on February 15, 2026, the Indian prime order confronted an instantaneous disaster on the R. Premadasa Stadium.
Returning to the enjoying XI after a harrowing bout of meals poisoning that noticed him lose vital weight, Abhishek Sharma’s extremely anticipated comeback resulted in heartbreak as he was dismissed for a four-ball duck within the opening over. The choice to play him over the match-fit Sanju Samson, who had proven promising type towards Namibia, backfired immediately, leaving the Indian dugout and followers in a state of shocked silence.
Salman Ali Agha’s daring gamble and Abhishek Sharma departs for duck
Pakistan’s newly appointed captain, Salman Ali Agha, produced what many are calling the tactical masterstroke of the match by selecting to open the bowling himself. Defying the standard knowledge of utilizing a world-class pacer like Shaheen Afridi for the brand new ball, Agha exploited the cheesy, gradual nature of the Colombo floor together with his off-spin.
He intentionally focused Abhishek’s identified vulnerability towards the turning ball, suffocating him with three pinpoint dot balls that ratcheted up the stress. On the ultimate supply of the over, Abhishek tried a hurried back-foot pull towards a ball that gripped and skidded, leading to a mistimed top-edge that settled comfortably into the fingers of Shaheen at quick fine-leg.
Additionally READ: From Mayanti Langer to Zainab Abbas: Meet the popular presenters for IND vs PAK clash in T20 World Cup 2026
Ishan Kishan counter-attacks towards Pakistan after Abhishek’s duck
In a high-tension begin on the R. Premadasa Stadium, Pakistan gained the toss and elected to bowl, with each captains, Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Agha, notably skipping the customary handshake. India made two tactical adjustments, bringing again star opener Abhishek Sharma for Sanju Samson and drafting in Kuldeep Yadav for Arshdeep Singh to take advantage of the spin-friendly observe. Pakistan fielded an unchanged XI, banking on the “thriller” of Usman Tariq to take care of their profitable momentum.
This early blow threatened to derail the Indian innings, however Ishan Kishan had different plans, launching a wide ranging counter-attack that rendered Pakistan’s early celebration short-lived. Kishan greeted Shaheen within the second over with a monstrous six over deep mid-wicket and adopted it up with a sequence of fierce boundaries towards Saim Ayub and the spinner Abrar Ahmed. Supported by a composed Tilak Varma, who discovered the fence with a intelligent glide within the ultimate over, India raced to 52/1 on the finish of the Powerplay, efficiently changing a disastrous begin right into a dominant scoring price of almost 9 runs per over.
Right here’s how followers reacted:
Meet Abhishek Sharma
– By no means performs when India wants him.
– Failed within the Asia Cup ultimate.
– Out for a duck in his first World Cup match.
– A duck vs Pakistan as properly.He merely can not deal with stress.
Sanju Samson ought to have performed forward of him vs Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/TxHgTbfAyM— Abhishek Kumar (@Abhishek060722) February 15, 2026
Surya Kumar Yadav put pointless stress on Abhishek Sharma within the press convention, and now he received out for a duck. He’ll get trolled unnecessarily.
— Abhishek (@MSDianAbhiii) February 15, 2026
That’s two geese in a row for abhishek. Does he begin getting the Sanju therapy from the media? Perhaps for the millionth time you will notice, this entire recreation is about PR, stardom, and model created leverage.
— Bharat Dhir (@babaBharatDhir) February 15, 2026
What a lazy shot from Abhishek. He most likely hasn’t totally recovered, I suppose he regarded boring as properly. If that’s the case, they need to have performed Sanju Samson as a substitute.
— Ragav X (@ragav_x) February 15, 2026
Abhishek Sharma has performed 2 matches on this World Cup and received out for 0 in each. In the meantime, Sanju Samson received just one likelihood and scored 22 runs off 8 balls at a 250+ strike price. However now you’ll see the double requirements of ICT followers, they gained’t criticize Abhishek as a result of he’s the… pic.twitter.com/y4JI3JXW3d
— Mahi Patel (@Mahi_Patel_07) February 15, 2026
Abhishek Sharma’s 0 at present in such a high-pressure recreation vs PAK proves that Worldwide cricket is a special beast than the IPL.
Whereas Abhishek has the ‘X-factor,’ the best way folks focused Sanju Samson for his current 22 (8) vs Namibia feels unfair now. Sanju’s years of… pic.twitter.com/Nj8aD6Jh6Q
— Gully Level (@gullypoint_) February 15, 2026
The idea of abhishek sharma getting a duck vs pakistan in t20 wc with rohit sharma watching from stands
— Aryan (@Emmahivve) February 15, 2026
Sharma Gone! Abhishek not Rohit.
— Daniel Khan (@Beautifulday98X) February 15, 2026
Abhishek Sharma is Sunil Narine with out bowling abilities!
— Sameer (@BawliBooch5) February 15, 2026
Gautam Gambhir to Abhishek Sharma in dressing room…#INDvsPAK pic.twitter.com/4ZM8c74kKv
— H I T E S H _❤️🔥_BAWA (@Isdilkakyakru) February 15, 2026
Additionally READ: IND vs PAK, T20 World Cup 2026 Match Prediction – Who will win today’s game between India and Pakistan?
