'Abhishek Sharma has passed the baton of 'zeroes' to in-form Ishan Kishan'

NEW DELHI: Following India’s 76-run defeat to South Africa in their Super Eights clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium, former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar analysed the team’s batting collapse and the challenges ahead, saying Abhishek Sharma has “passed the baton of zeroes” to the in-form Ishan Kishan.

India were bowled out for 111 in 18.5 overs while chasing 188 after South Africa posted 187/7. Marco Jansen starred with 4/22 and Keshav Maharaj picked up 3/24. Despite Shivam Dube’s fighting 42, India never recovered from early blows, with Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma falling cheaply.



Nayar pointed to the unusual situation facing India’s top order and was critical of the openers’ display against the Proteas.

“It’s going to be a very uncomfortable discussion between Ishan Kishan and Abhishek as to who takes the strike because suddenly he has passed the baton of the zeroes to Ishan Kishan, someone who was in prime form. But this is a problem for India,” Nayar told JioStar.

He also spoke about the technical issues posed by quality off-spin and stressed the need for better planning in the upcoming matches.

“There is definitely going to be a discussion about how they can overcome an off-spinner bowling to them because, keep in mind, when they take on the West Indies as well, Roston Chase is going to bowl in the powerplay to them. So they will want to come back with better plans,” Nayar said.

“With the newer ball, when you hit the seam at times as a finger spinner, you can get that extra bounce, and that’s the tricky part. If it’s slightly slower in the air, like we saw there, and the ball hits the seam and deviates even a bit, that’s enough in T20 cricket to get you out because it creates doubt and can earn you a wicket,” Nayar added.

Nayar’s remarks highlight India’s urgency to adapt against quality spin as they look to revive their semi-final hopes in the Super Eights.


Get the latest ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 updates, including the full schedule, teams, live scores, points table, and key series stats such as top run-scorers and wicket-takers.