‘Phone pakad, social media hata’: Abhishek Sharma opens up on Suryakumar, Gambhir’s tough-love advice during slump

Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for a duck against the USA, Pakistan and the Netherlands.

Abhishek Sharma was expected to have a blazing ICC Men's T20 World Cup campaign after he took the format by storm in 2025, but it did not turn out as he had hoped. He suffered a duck in each of the first three matches he played in the tournament, which sparked fierce criticism, with some even starting to question his place in the playing XI.

Abhishek Sharma reacts as he returns to the pavilion after his dismissal by New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra during the T20 World Cup 2026 final (PTI)

Abhishek was dismissed for a duck against the USA, Pakistan and the Netherlands. The hat-trick of dismissals for nought left the India opener disappointed and on the verge of an emotional breakdown, before the seniors in the dressing room came to his aid.

Speaking at the India Today Conclave, Abhishek revealed that after his third dismissal for a duck — in India's final group game in Ahmedabad against the Netherlands — head coach Gautam Gambhir, captain Suryakumar Yadav and all-rounder Hardik Pandya told him to cut himself off from every social media app on his phone to avoid getting distracted by the comments from fans.

“Slowly you get used to it. But it does feel bad when there is criticism. That is going to happen in India because people have a lot of expectations from you. After I scored three ducks, Surya, GG sir and Hardik Pandya came to me and said, ‘Phone pakad, social media hata abhi ke abhi’ [take your phone and uninstall social media right now].

“That was the first thing I did after my third zero. That actually helped me a bit. I was getting a lot of suggestions and comments from people. That’s how a cricketer’s life is. You have to listen and you will be criticised. All you can do is listen and ignore, because people have a lot of expectations from you. Sometimes you deliver and sometimes you don’t. I expected this,” he said.

Although Abhishek eventually scored his first runs in the next game against South Africa and then struck a fifty against Zimbabwe, his low scores against West Indies and England continued to raise concerns.

Abhishek's turnaround came at the right time for India in the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand, where he smashed a blistering 21-ball 52 as part of a 98-run opening stand alongside Sanju Samson that laid the foundation for a huge win.