“He kept targeting the pads relentlessly” - Sunil Gavaskar analyses Abhishek Sharma’s dismissal vs South Africa

Former Indian captain and commentator Sunil Gavaskar has delved into the technical details of Abhishek Sharma’s dismissal against South Africa in the Super8 clash of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign.

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Speaking on Star Sports after India’s 76-run defeat, Gavaskar lauded the South African bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen for cleverly deceiving the opening batter not to free his arms, cramping his feet movement. 

While Sharma started the ICC T20 WC 2026 with three consecutive ducks in the group stage, he managed to score a 15-run knock off 12 balls, with two fours and a six, at a strike rate of 125 before getting out to Marco Jansen's knuckleball.

"The fluency is not there at the moment. In the nets, you know you'll face the next ball even if you get out on the first. But in a match, it's a completely different story. That pressure can almost freeze you, restricting the free movement of the arms when aiming for a big shot. He got a little stuck there, and South Africa bowled very cleverly. They know he likes to make room and play through the off-side, so look at Rabada, he kept targeting the pads relentlessly, even after conceding a six," Gavaskar said on Star Sports after the match.

Furthermore, the former Indian skipper also heaped praise on the South African middle-order batters David Miller and Dewald Brevis for applying themselves on a tough surface, forging a 97-run stand for the fourth wicket. He went on to add that the Indian batters failed to apply themselves and build a partnership in the chase.

"Batters showed poor shot selection. Look at David Miller and Dewald Brevis; on a pitch where the ball wasn't coming onto the bat easily, they applied themselves and built a good score. However, the Indian batters failed to do the same," he concluded.

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