“When you don’t put a price on your wicket, you will play loose shots like that” - Manoj Tiwary slams Abhishek Sharma

Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary has stated that the dashing opener Abhishek Sharma needs to step up in the last two matches of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026 to emerge as a superstar for the Men In Blue.

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Speaking exclusively on Cricbuzz, Tiwary asserted that while Sharma took very little time to become a star in the Indian team, he added that the opener needs to stay ahead of other match-winners within the team to become a superstar.

“He (Abhishek) has already become a star in such a short time, but if he wants to be a superstar, he has to win games for the team. There is so much competition, so many match winners, so he has to be ahead of them," Tiwary said while speaking on Cricbuzz.

“It isn’t as if the coach and the team management are unhappy with him and will bench him for the next game. He (Abhishek) has been given that freedom. When you don’t put a price on your wicket, then you will play loose shots like that," he added.

Interestingly, Abhishek had an off-day on the field, dropping two catches. While the first came in the powerplay when he dropped a sitter off Roston Chase's blade, the second came out in the 19th over of the innings off Rovman Powell's willow.

Moreover, with the willow, in the 196-run chase, Sharma managed to score only 10 runs off 11 balls. Speaking on the same, Tiwary insisted that the opening batter had an off day, adding that he needs to cultivate the mindset of which balls to leave and which to play.

“Against the West Indies, it was a good opportunity for him, but it was an off day for him. He (Abhishek) dropped two catches as well. He has to cultivate the mindset where he has to decide which balls to go for and which not," Tiwary concluded.

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