India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak rejected claims that Abhishek Sharma is under pressure before the T20 World Cup 2026 match against the Netherlands. He said the team is not worried about the opener’s poor start in the tournament. Before the competition began, many experts had predicted that Abhishek would be the highest run-scorer.
However, he has not scored in his first two matches. He was out for a golden duck against the USA in Mumbai, caught at deep cover. In the next match against Pakistan in Colombo, he was dismissed for a four-ball duck, caught at mid-on off Salman Agha.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the game against the Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Sitanshu Kotak supported Abhishek Sharma and said he is confident the batter will perform well soon, as reported by ESPNcricinfo.
“The one thing we definitely don’t unnecessarily do is over-analyze. Sometimes you [as batters] start making more assumptions than the opposition do. He has his plans sorted, he follows the way he wants to, and obviously we discuss the opposition, their bowling, their strengths, what they’ve been doing – all that is normal for everyone, not just Abhishek.”
Kotak rejects Hesson’s remark, expresses confidence in Abhishek
Kotak also highlighted that the opener had scored heavily in the matches leading up to the T20 World Cup. He added that in a fast format like T20 cricket, batters are likely to get out early in some games due to the aggressive style of play.
The Indian batting coach further rejected Pakistan coach Mike Hesson’s claim that Abhishek’s dismissal had been part of their pre-match planning.
“A lot of credit to Abhishek, if that’s how they are planning so much against him. I’m sure he must be doing so well that they’re concerned. We plan, he also comes up with ideas. I don’t genuinely think in the last game they planned to get him out and he was caught at mid-on – you can’t plan to get anyone out like that,” a bemused Kotak replied.
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