Abhishek Sharma’s name lit up the scorecard for the wrong reason when he was dismissed for a golden duck in the rain‑hit five‑over T20I against Japan.
Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bat, hoping to outpace the visitors. Sanju Samson took to the crease, hit a single off five deliveries and handed the strike to the opener, who never saw the ball again.
Charlie Hara‑Hinze fired a leg‑stump delivery that sketched a perfect line. Sharma, crouched low trying to help the ball along, top‑ed it, and Sugaya‑Slater ran back to snatch the catch. No second chance.
With the score at seven, India lost its explosive opener at the very start of the innings. It was the fifth first‑ball duck Sharma has recorded this year, a tally that now equals the record held by Rwanda’s Kevin Irakoze (2023) and Richard Ngarava (2024).
The tally also puts him among the batsmen with the most ducks in a calendar year in T20Is, with ten ducks overall in 2026. Rashid Khan’s nine ducks in 2019 and Shadab Khan’s nine in 2024 still sit just ahead of him.
The record is an ugly one for a left‑handed opener, but it also signals a tough patch for India’s top‑order in the limited‑overs format. The team will need to regroup quickly as they head toward the next series.
India’s next outing will see the squad face Sri Lanka in a three‑match T20I series, a test that could define the direction of the side after this dramatic setback.