T20 World Cup 2026: ‘Abhishek Sharma should be aware of what the opposition is trying to do’ – Faf du Plessis shares tactical insights

Faf du Plessis believes India opener Abhishek Sharma needs to be smarter with his shot selection to counter the tactics bowlers are employing against him in the 2026 T20 World Cup. Abhishek entered the tournament in red-hot form, but after four matches, he has managed just 15 runs, including three consecutive ducks.

Opposition teams have tactically adjusted their powerplay field placements to target his strengths, often stationing both deep fielders on the off side to curb his attacking stroke play. Against the USA, he was caught at deep cover for a first-ball duck. In his latest outing against South Africa, he struggled against slower deliveries, with fielders positioned at deep backward point and deep cover to cut off his preferred scoring areas.

“Tactically, the game has got so smart with analysts and the way that they are trying to get you out. What I’ve picked up of late with Abhishek is people are now putting a deep point out and a deep extra cover out because he’s so good at hitting the ball through the off side,” said Du Plessis as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

“So the key is to make sure that when you get to the crease, you’re aware of what the opposition is trying to do. How are they trying to get me out? And then your decision as a batter, am I still sticking to my strengths? Am I trying to whack the ball for six over point, over cover? Or am I trying to bring the risk a little bit down and hit the ball on the ground for one or two, or try to score in a different area? Knowing Abhishek, you’re probably trying to whack it for six over cover because he hits the ball so clean. But that’s the decision you have to make as a batter,” he added.

Du Plessis observed that opposition bowlers are consistently targeting Abhishek with slower deliveries, particularly because of his expansive, pleasing swing. He explained that bowlers are cleverly disrupting his timing by taking the pace off the ball. The former South African captain advised that Abhishek should consider using his feet more, coming down the track and allowing the ball to come closer to him before committing to his shots.

“The other thing I’ve picked up is that teams are bowling a lot of slower balls at him, and it’s because he’s got such a beautiful swing. What you’re trying to do with guys that have such a long swing is you’re trying to take pace off the ball. So once again, his decision is, how do I counter guys when they’re bowling it slow?,” said Du Plessis.

“For me, what I try to do when guys are bowling slower balls at me, I either try to come down the wicket because you want to generate pace to hit the ball, or you try to hang back and set for that slower ball so that your hands are never in front of you. I’m not going to try to talk to Abhishek about batting. You know exactly what to do, but I can see teams are bowling a lot of slower balls at him,” he added.

Du Plessis believes Abhishek does not require extensive technical advice and is confident that the opener will soon produce a match-winning knock in this World Cup. He stressed that the key for the youngster is to block out external noise and remain focused on his natural strengths.

“Right now, everyone in the world is talking about [him]. There will be 1000 opinions, 50 coaches. Everyone will want to give their 5 cents to Abhishek and the way he should bat. And it’s a tough place to be if you’re a young guy, 25 years old, in your first World Cup with so many expectations. He has bossed the last year, smashed every bowling attack all over the place,” said Du Plessis.

“He has been unbelievable the last two-three years in the IPL. He whacks bowling attacks all over the ground. He is the newer generation of T20 cricketer who doesn’t actually have to worry about defence. He has got so many attacking options. The key for him now is, how do you keep the noise out? How do you make sure you focus on your strengths, your game, and keep your mind as clear as possible? Because there’s a lot of noise going on when a player is in this state. I’ve got no doubt, give him a couple more innings, the youngster will come through and he’ll have an amazing innings somewhere in this World Cup,” he concluded.

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