India’s highly anticipated T20 World Cup opener saw an early setback as top-ranked T20I batter Abhishek Sharma endured a disappointing debut, getting out for a golden duck against the USA on Sunday.
The left-hander fell on the very first ball he faced, failing to make an impact in his maiden World Cup appearance.
USA, after winning the toss, opted to bowl first and found immediate success through pacer Ali Khan. Bowling the second over, Ali tempted Sharma into an ambitious shot towards the deep.
The Indian opener misjudged the stroke and was comfortably caught in the outfield, breaking India’s opening partnership at 8.
The dismissal marked Sharma’s third duck of the year, a surprising statistic for a batter who currently sits atop the ICC T20I rankings. His early exit stunned the Wankhede crowd and handed momentum to the USA.
After two overs, India were 9/1, with Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma at the crease, looking to rebuild the innings. Now the responsibility lies on Ishan and Tilak to take the scoreboard ahead.
