Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin vehemently disagrees with Mohammad Amir's assessment of Abhishek Sharma's game. During the T20 World Cup 2026 group stage, the former Pakistan pacer made a bold statement, saying the left-handed opening batter doesn't have any defensive gear in his batting, calling him “just a slogger.” This statement led to Amir receiving many brickbats on social media, as Indian fans did not take kindly to it.
Abhishek endured a horrid time in the group stage of the T20 World Cup, returning with three ducks. He then once failed against South Africa, scoring just 15 runs in the Super 8s tie. However, the 25-year-old returned to form in the game against Zimbabwe on Thursday, scoring 55 runs in 30 balls with the help of 4 fours and as many sixes.
Speaking about Abhishek's game, Ashwin said that one can say anything about Abhishek's game, but he is anything but a slogger. The former India spinner, who retired from international cricket in December 2024, stated that Abhishek has a better bat swing than even his mentor, Yuvraj Singh.
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“There is a video of Mohammad Amir doing the rounds, where he called Abhishek Sharma a slogger. I just want to make one thing clear: you can say anything about his game, but he is not a slogger. He has one of the most enviable bat swings in the game today. We all know Yuvraj Singh is his mentor,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.
{{/usCountry}}“There is a video of Mohammad Amir doing the rounds, where he called Abhishek Sharma a slogger. I just want to make one thing clear: you can say anything about his game, but he is not a slogger. He has one of the most enviable bat swings in the game today. We all know Yuvraj Singh is his mentor,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.
{{/usCountry}}“He has probably got a better bat swing than him as well. You cannot get a better bat swing than that. Whenever Abhishek strikes the ball, it goes very far. So people can mistake him for being a slogger. The one thing Abhishek has been guilty of is showing intent on every ball,” he added.
‘Focus on timing’
Abhishek, who found his groove against Zimbabwe, needs to focus on timing, according to Ashwin. The legendary spinner believes that the batting coaches need to tell Abhishek that he doesn't have to power the ball, as the timing will do the required job.
“Abhishek doesn't have to give power on his shots. If anyone is talking to him, just tell him about the importance of timing the ball properly,” said Ashwin.
Speaking of Abhishek, he contracted a stomach infection midway through the group stage, which led to him missing the match against Namibia. He was also hospitalised and even lost several kilos. The left-hander was dismissed for ducks against the USA, Pakistan and the Netherlands.
Speaking about India, the side won the contest against Zimbabwe by 72 runs, and hence the upcoming match against the West Indies has become a knockout game with the winner set to qualify for the semi-finals.