Ashwin slams Mohammad Amir over his bold remark on Abhishek Sharma( Source: x)
After facing a countless number of buzz, trolls, and criticism, Abhishek Sharma silenced all his critics with a sublime half-century in the last clash against Zimbabwe. Amid his lean patch, Mohammad Amir had questioned him, and now, Ravichandran Ashwin responded with a sharp reply.
Amir criticized Abhishek Sharma's playing style, calling him a slogger. Hitting back strongly, Ravichandran Ashwin defended the Indian opener and even claimed he is better than Yuvraj Singh.
Ashwin fires back at Mohammad Amir over 'Slogger' jibe
As Abhishek Sharma is known for his explosive power-hitting, the T20 World Cup 2026 began on a disappointing note for him, as he finished the group stage without scoring a single run. That lean patch drew heavy criticism, but former Pakistani pacer Mohammad Amir crossed all the boundaries by calling him a slogger.
The bold comment stirred controversy, but the young Indian opener shut down all the criticism with a magnificent fifty against Zimbabwe in their second Super Eight clash. After Abhishek played the fiery knock, legendary Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took a fiery dig at Amir.
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Speaking after the match, Ravichandran Ashwin addressed the controversy, stating that while Abhishek Sharma's game can be discussed, labeling him a slogger is unfair. While backing the youngster, Ashwin put him above his mentor, Yuvraj Singh.
“You can say anything about Abhishek Sharma’s game, but he is not a slogger. He has one of the most enviable bat swings in cricket, even better than his mentor, Yuvraj Singh. His only guilt is showing intent on every ball,” he said.
Abhishek’s blazing fifty secures India’s early domination
Since the beginning of the T20 World Cup 2026, Indian fans have been eagerly waiting for a trademark knock from Abhishek Sharma, but his prolonged lean patch has only extended their wait. But in the last match against Zimbabwe, the wait ended as the youngster looked in his old, fiery form. Ending the outside noise, he played an exceptional knock.
While opening the innings with Sanju Samson, Team India got a good start, but Samson departed, scoring only 24 runs. Afterward, Abhishek tightened his grip and forged a game-changing partnership with Ishan Kishan.
Smashing the big hits all over the ground, he smashed his first fifty in the ongoing tournament in 26 balls. He walked away, scoring 55 runs in 30 balls as Team India posted a record T20I total of 256 runs on the board.
India’s semifinal dream gains a boost after ZIM triumph
After piling up a massive total, Team India clinched a commanding win over Zimbabwe in a crucial clash. While defending the total, Arshdeep Singh nailed the game as Brian Benett’s unbeaten 97 failed to turn the tide, and Team India secured a 72-run victory. After the dominating victory, their semifinal hope got a desired boost.
Before stepping into the match against Zimbabwe, Team India’s possibility of featuring in the semifinal was under the clouds, but the dominant victory brought a ray of hope to the Men in Blue. Now, they simply need to defeat the West Indies in their next clash to seal a spot in the semifinals.
But the upcoming clash is set to be an unofficial quarter-final as both sides will be eager to register a victory, as the losing side will end their T20 World Cup journey. As the Eden Gardens is set to host the showdown, the Kolkata crowd can expect a high-voltage, nail-biting encounter.
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