Abhishek Sharma put in some hard yards in an over one-hour-long training session dominated by spinners ahead of India’s upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 clash against the Netherlands in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, February 18. Abhishek, having suffered back-to-back ducks in the tournament, took on the bowlers and smashed them all around the park during the practice session. Meanwhile, Rinku Singh did a special bowling work as he bowled round-arm off-spin in the optional session.
The World No.1 T20I batter Abhishek is yet to open his account in the T20 World Cup 2026, having dismissed for ducks in his two consecutive outings against the USA and Pakistan. Known for his rare ability to change the match single-handedly, the Southpaw has the backing of the support staff and the team, as highlighted by India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak in his press conference on the eve of India’s final league stage clash against the Dutch at the Narendra Modi Stadium.ย
Abhishek smashes bowlers in nets
He displayed his array of strokes as he took on an off-spin net bowler and Varun Chakaravarthy. He also punished the fast bowlers with his pull and the pick-up shot behind the wicket. Just when it seemed his session was over, Abhishek walked back in to bat alongside skipper Suryakumar Yadav. When Kuldeep Yadav began bowling, Abhishek was swift to punish anything overpitched, driving fluently through his favoured extra-cover region.
In the adjacent nets, Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh devoted extra time to facing the slower bowlers. Around half the squad attended the session, including Abhishek, Varun Chakaravarthy, Suryakumar, Tilak, Kuldeep, Washington Sundar and Arshdeep Singh.
Rinku Singh puts some special practice
After an extended stint with the bat, Rinku Singh turned his arm over, sending down a few off-spin deliveries with a round-arm action reminiscent of Gerhard Erasmus during the clash against Namibia. The Namibia skipper had unsettled the Indian batters with his unorthodox release point from well behind the stumps in Delhi. Indiaโs struggles against part-time options were also evident in the match against Pakistan, where the likes of Usman Tariq and Saim Ayub posed questions despite challenging conditions in Colombo. However, Ishan Kishanโs standout knock ultimately turned the contest decisively in Indiaโs favour.
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