In the second T20I between South Africa and India at St George’s Park in Gqeberha, India’s batting struggles continued as the top order faltered early. Amid a shaky start, Abhishek Sharma‘s brief stay at the crease only added to the pressure on the team, as he was dismissed for just 4 runs. This disappointing performance left fans frustrated, leading to 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
After South Africa won the toss and elected to bowl, India found themselves on the back foot from the outset. Star batter and centurion from the previous match, Sanju Samson, was dismissed for a duck within the opening over. Attempting to clear the infield with a big shot off Marco Jansen, Samson was clean bowled, leaving the team in trouble.
Abhishek Sharma’s poor form continues
With Samson gone, expectations mounted on Abhishek to provide some stability. However, he could not deliver, scoring only 4 runs before falling prey to Gerald Coetzee’s bowling in the second over. Coetzee targeted Abhishek with a short ball on the off side, which the batter tried to pull, only to top-edge it to Jansen at short fine leg. This early loss deepened India’s woes, sparking a wave of disappointment among fans who had hoped for a stronger response from the left-handed batter.
Also READ: 3 key reasons behind Australia’s ODI series defeat against Pakistan
Abhishek’s dismissal prompted a storm of reactions online, as fans voiced their dissatisfaction with his continued struggles at the crease. Many expressed frustration over his tendency to throw away his wicket and questioned the management’s decision to retain him in the playing XI. On X (formerly known as Twitter), fans shared brutal memes and criticism, with some suggesting that his poor form warranted a reshuffle in the batting lineup.
Here is how fans reacted:
Abhishek Sharma again flopped 🙃#abhisheksharma #INDvsSA pic.twitter.com/6NIwtlN0KT
— Virat (@chiku_187) November 10, 2024
Abhishek Sharma in Last 7 T20Is
10, 14, 16, 15, 4, 7, 4
Average : 10.00#INDvSA pic.twitter.com/qr0eYEqsCd— 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒔 (@Shebas_10dulkar) November 10, 2024
Abhishek Sharma in T20I –
• 🇿🇼 vs 0(4)
• 🇿🇼 vs 100(47)
• 🇿🇼 vs 10(09)
• 🇿🇼 vs 14(11)
• 🇧🇩 vs 16(07)
• 🇧🇩 vs 15(11)
• 🇧🇩 vs 4(4)
• 🇿🇦 vs 7(8)
• 🇿🇦 vs 4(5)10 inns, 18.88 avg. 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
The poor show of Abhishek Sharma has continued in the T20i cricket. Apart from the century against Zimbabwe, he has just scored 70 runs in the other 9 innings. #INDvsSA pic.twitter.com/jr2eGD88dK
— Tejash (@Cricmemer45) November 10, 2024
Abhishek Sharma has to fire in this match otherwise things will get ugly for him.He has to show maturity while doing the short selection.He has to come up with the mindset to play at least 10 over of the Indian inning.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 Zimbabwe bully named Abhishek Sharma in the academy 😍 pic.twitter.com/IiAFGlydZr
— TukTuk Academy (@TukTuk_Academy) November 10, 2024
why’s abhishek sharma calling me pic.twitter.com/Ing4IrBjse
— raze (@pullshott) November 10, 2024
Me to those who compare Abhishek Sharma to The Great Yuvraj Singh.#SanjuSamson #INDvSA #T20I pic.twitter.com/PLeQCKbvhZ
— Ashutosh Srivastava 🇮🇳 (@sri_ashutosh08) November 10, 2024
Abhishek Sharma #PAKvsAUS#INDvsSA
#Blast #GameChanagerteaser #ChampionsTrophy2025 #BorderGavaskarTrophy BCCI #KiaraAdvani #VidaaMuyarchi #CitadelHoneyBunny #संतरामपालजीके_संघर्ष_कीकहानी pic.twitter.com/P1F8AAMayM— Unknown (@Nk49900226) November 10, 2024
https://twitter.com/Khandu_Don_/status/1855615954002104780
Abhishek Sharma is such an inconsistent opener. It’s unreal how scoring runs on the flattest tracks earned him an India spot and preference over many far better openers. There’s a reason he didn’t perform before this IPL.
— Yash (@CSKYash_) November 10, 2024
Abhishek Sharma is yet another example of why the next in line players must be allowed to play overseas leagues if accelerating their development is indeed a priority
— Somesh Agarwal (@someshagarwal22) November 10, 2024
Give me Freedom
Give me fire
Give me Hyderabad’s flat pitch
else I retire#AbhishekSharma #INDvsSA pic.twitter.com/3WbVikHOlU— Avani Gupta🍷 (@cricketizlife) November 10, 2024