In a shocking turn of events during the high-octane T20 World Cup 2026 clash between India and Pakistan on February 15, 2026, the Indian top order faced an immediate crisis at the R. Premadasa Stadium.
Returning to the playing XI after a harrowing bout of food poisoning that saw him lose significant weight, Abhishek Sharma’s highly anticipated comeback ended in heartbreak as he was dismissed for a four-ball duck in the opening over. The decision to play him over the match-fit Sanju Samson, who had shown promising form against Namibia, backfired instantly, leaving the Indian dugout and fans in a state of stunned silence.
Salman Ali Agha’s bold 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 tournament by choosing to open the bowling himself. Defying the conventional wisdom of using a world-class pacer like Shaheen Afridi for the new ball, Agha exploited the tacky, slow nature of the Colombo surface with his off-spin.
He deliberately targeted Abhishek’s known vulnerability against the turning ball, suffocating him with three pinpoint dot balls that ratcheted up the pressure. On the final delivery of the over, Abhishek attempted a hurried back-foot pull against a ball that gripped and skidded, resulting in a mistimed top-edge that settled comfortably into the hands of Shaheen at short fine-leg.
Ishan Kishan counter-attacks against Pakistan after Abhishek’s duck
In a high-tension start at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl, with both captains, Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Agha, notably skipping the customary handshake. India made two tactical changes, bringing back star opener Abhishek Sharma for Sanju Samson and drafting in Kuldeep Yadav for Arshdeep Singh to exploit the spin-friendly track. Pakistan fielded an unchanged XI, banking on the “mystery” of Usman Tariq to maintain their winning momentum.
This early blow threatened to derail the Indian innings, but Ishan Kishan had other plans, launching a breathtaking counter-attack that rendered Pakistan’s early celebration short-lived. Kishan greeted Shaheen in the second over with a monstrous six over deep mid-wicket and followed it up with a sequence of fierce boundaries against Saim Ayub and the spinner Abrar Ahmed. Supported by a composed Tilak Varma, who found the fence with a clever glide in the final over, India raced to 52/1 at the end of the Powerplay, successfully converting a disastrous start into a dominant scoring rate of nearly nine runs per over.
Here’s how fans reacted:
Meet Abhishek Sharma
– Never performs when India needs him.
– Failed in the Asia Cup final.
– Out for a duck in his first World Cup match.
– A duck vs Pakistan as well.He simply cannot handle pressure.
Sanju Samson should have played ahead of him vs Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/TxHgTbfAyM— Abhishek Kumar (@Abhishek060722) February 15, 2026
Surya Kumar Yadav put unnecessary pressure on Abhishek Sharma in the press conference, and now he got out for a duck. He will get trolled unnecessarily.
— Abhishek (@MSDianAbhiii) February 15, 2026
That’s two ducks in a row for abhishek. Does he start getting the Sanju treatment from the media? Maybe for the millionth time you will see, this whole game is about PR, stardom, and brand created leverage.
— Bharat Dhir (@babaBharatDhir) February 15, 2026
What a lazy shot from Abhishek. He probably hasn’t fully recovered, I guess he looked dull as well. If that’s the case, they should have played Sanju Samson instead.
— Ragav X (@ragav_x) February 15, 2026
Abhishek Sharma has played 2 matches in this World Cup and got out for 0 in both. Meanwhile, Sanju Samson got only 1 chance and scored 22 runs off 8 balls at a 250+ strike rate. But now you’ll see the double standards of ICT fans, they won’t criticize Abhishek because he’s the… pic.twitter.com/y4JI3JXW3d
— Mahi Patel (@Mahi_Patel_07) February 15, 2026
Abhishek Sharma’s 0 today in such a high-pressure game vs PAK proves that International cricket is a different beast than the IPL.
While Abhishek has the ‘X-factor,’ the way people targeted Sanju Samson for his recent 22 (8) vs Namibia feels unfair now. Sanju’s years of… pic.twitter.com/Nj8aD6Jh6Q
— Gully Point (@gullypoint_) February 15, 2026
The concept 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 without bowling skills!
— 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
