Abhishek Sharma Creates Unwanted T20 Duck Record

Star India opener Abhishek Sharma endured another forgettable outing in the one-off T20I against Japan at Sano on Tuesday, September 22, falling for a golden duck off the sixth delivery of the match. The dismissal marked his tenth duck of the 2026 calendar year, a tally that no batter in T20 history has reached before.

The 26-year-old left-hander from Amritsar has had a year of stark contrasts, following brilliance with barren patches. Just five days earlier, on September 17 in Delhi, he had blazed a century off only 30 balls against Afghanistan. Against Japan, though, he could not lay bat on ball, undone early by teenage pacer Charlie Hara-Hinze.

A Record That Surpasses Rashid Khan

With this dismissal, Abhishek moved past Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, who was previously the benchmark for most ducks in a T20 calendar year, having been dismissed for zero nine times across 56 matches in 2019. Abhishek now stands alone at the top of that unwanted list, a stark contrast to his standing as one of the format’s most destructive batters over the past two years.

India Scrape Home Against Japan

Despite the early setback at the top of the order, India held their nerve to win the five-over contest by a narrow two runs. Axar Patel produced a composed final over to defend eight runs and seal the victory. With the ball, Washington Sundar was the pick of India’s bowlers, picking up two important wickets, while Japan’s Hara-Hinze impressed with figures of 2 for 17, troubling India’s batting line-up throughout the innings.

Abhishek’s struggles with consistency now sit alongside his undeniable ability to change games in a flash, leaving fans and analysts debating whether the dip is a temporary blip or a deeper technical concern heading into India’s busier T20I calendar ahead.