in the year between the second T20I South Africa and India India’s batting struggles at St Georges Park in Gqeberha continued as the top order crumbled early. Amid a shaky start, Abhishek SharmaHis short stay at the crease added to the pressure on the team as he was dismissed for just 4 runs. The disappointing performance left fans disappointed, prompting a flood of reactions on social media calling out his form and questioning his place in the squad.
India’s top order stumbles as Sanju Samson departs early
India were on the back foot from the start after South Africa won the toss and qualified for the trophy. The star batter and centurion from the previous match, Sanju Samsonwas fired for opening in a duck. Samson, who tried to clear the field with a big blow to Marko Jansen, made a clean shot, leaving the team in trouble.
Abhishek Sharma’s poor form continues
With Samson gone, the expectation was on Abhishek to provide some stability. But he failed to deliver, scoring just 4 runs before being crippled Gerald Coetzee‘s second time bowling. Coetzee targeted Abhishek with a short ball from the outside off, the batter tried to pull it but only got Jansen to the top edge at short fine leg. This early loss only deepened India’s woes and caused a wave of disappointment among fans who had hoped for a stronger response from the left-handed batsman.
Also READ: 3 main reasons behind Australia’s ODI series loss to Pakistan
Abhishek’s dismissal sparked reactions online as fans expressed their displeasure over his continued struggles at the crease. Many expressed disappointment with his wicket-taking propensity and questioned the management’s decision to keep him in the playing XI. Fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) shared vicious memes and criticism, with some suggesting his poor form warranted a change in the batting line-up.
Here’s how the fans reacted:
Abhishek Sharma flopped again 🙃#abhisheksharma #INDvsSA pic.twitter.com/6NIwtlN0KT
— Virat (@chiku_187) November 10, 2024
Abhishek Sharma in last 7 T20s
10, 14, 16, 15, 4, 7, 4
Middle: 10.00#INDvSA pic.twitter.com/qr0eYEqsCd— 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒔 (@Shebas_10dulkar) November 10, 2024
Abhishek Sharma in T20I –
• 🇿🇼 vs 0(4)
• 100(47) against 🇿🇼
• 🇿🇼 against 10(09)
• 🇿🇼 against 14(11)
• 🇧🇩 vs 16(07)
• 15(11) against 🇧🇩
• 4(4) against 🇧🇩
• 🇿🇦 vs 7(8)
• 🇿🇦 vs 4(5)10 hotels, 18.88 abg. pic.twitter.com/UsEJc7o7KR
– Vishal. (@SPORTYVISHAL) November 10, 2024
Mr. Abhishek Sharma, Bro, You are not Yuvraj Singh.
Give him Zimbabwe and IPL Otherwise he will retire. pic.twitter.com/SNloDTtPX3
— Amit Kumar (@AmitMaithil7) November 10, 2024
Abhishek Sharma’s poor show continued in T20i cricket. Apart from his century with Zimbabwe, he scored 70 runs in 9 other innings. #INDvsSA pic.twitter.com/jr2eGD88dK
— Tejash (@Cricmemer45) November 10, 2024
Abhishek Sharma needs to fire in this match or things will turn ugly for him. He needs to show maturity when choosing short. He should come with the mindset of playing at least 10 overs of the Indian innings. His future is now. in his hands. pic.twitter.com/k9BS0NPZye
— Sujeet Suman (@sujeetsuman1991) November 10, 2024
abhishek sharma t20i career so far pic.twitter.com/LvmT1TD02x
— magnolia (@fincher_fiedv2) November 10, 2024
Babar Azam welcomed another Zimbabwean bully named Abhishek Sharma to the academy pic.twitter.com/IiAFGlydZr
— TukTuk Academy (@TukTuk_Academy) November 10, 2024
why is abhishek sharma calling me pic.twitter.com/Ing4IrBjse
— raze (@pullshott) November 10, 2024
To those who compare me Abhishek Sharma with Yuvraj Singh the Great.#SanjuSamson #INDvSA #T20I pic.twitter.com/PLeQCKbvhZ
— Ashutosh Srivastava 🇮🇳 (@sri_ashutosh08) November 10, 2024
Abhishek Sharma #PAKvsAUS#INDvsSA
#Explosion #GameChanagerteaser # Champions Cup 2025 #BorderGavaskarTrophy BCCI #KiaraAdvani #VidaaMuyarchi #CitadelHoneyBunny #Santrampalji’s_struggle_story pic.twitter.com/P1F8AAMayM— Unknown (@Nk49900226) November 10, 2024
https://twitter.com/Khandu_Don_/status/1855615954002104780
Abhishek Sharma is such an inconsistent opener. It is unreal that his scoring on the flattest of tracks has earned him a place in India and given him an edge over many better openers. There is a reason why he did not perform before this IPL.
— Ash (@CSKYash_) November 10, 2024
Abhishek Sharma is another example of how the next generation of players should be allowed to play in overseas leagues if accelerating their development is truly a priority.
– Somesh Agarwal (@someshagarwal22) November 10, 2024
Give me Freedom
Give me fire
Give me the flat pitch of Hyderabad
or I will retire#AbhishekSharma #INDvsSA pic.twitter.com/3WbVikHOlU— Avani Gupta🍷 (@cricketizlife) November 10, 2024
