India’s T20I opener Abhishek Sharma opened up about dealing with criticism at the India Today Conclave, saying that “it does feel bad when there is criticism.” He further added that such reactions are inevitable in India as “people have a lot of expectations from you.”
It was a shocking start for the current number-one ranked T20I batter in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 as he registered three successive ducks.
Speaking about that difficult phase where he struggled with form, Abhishek revealed that senior players stepped in to help him deal with the outside noise.
He admitted, “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].”
The opener said he followed their advice immediately, which helped him regain focus. “That was the first thing I did after my second zero. That actually helped me a bit. I was getting a lot of suggestions and comments from people,” he explained.
Despite the criticism, Abhishek acknowledged that such reactions are part of a cricketer’s journey, saying, “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. That is because people have a lot of expectations from you. Sometimes you deliver and sometimes you don’t. I expected this.”
The young batter finished the tournament with 141 runs in eight matches at a strike rate of 158.42 and an average of 17.62, including two half-centuries.
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