Asia Cup 2025: Cracks beneath the surface as India’s dependence on Abhishek Sharma exposes bigger issues

Abhishek Sharma in action against Bangladesh at Asia Cup 2025 (Photo- BCCI)

Another day, another splendid show with the bat from Abhishek Sharma. Fresh from a terrific 39-ball 74, the number one T20I batter in the world took the attack to the Bangladesh bowlers in India’s second Super Four game, registering his best score of the tournament so far — 75 off just 37 deliveries.

The pitch didn’t offer much to the bowlers, and Abhishek took full advantage of the ideal batting conditions as he blasted five 6s and six 4s in his fiery knock. Once again, he helped India get off to a solid start alongside Shubman Gill. Ever since these two batters began opening together, India have been getting quickfire starts. Not that the old pair of Abhishek and Sanju Samson were any less effective, but the class of Gill and the finesse of Abhishek make this partnership more pleasing to the spectator’s eye. This was an experiment that has delivered the desired results for India so far.

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To this point, India’s campaign has been a smooth ride, thanks largely to Abhishek’s efforts with the bat. The top order has done the bulk of the scoring. While it’s good that the top order is firing and doing so consistently in a format like T20, the failure of the middle-order to follow suit is where the problem lies. Sometimes, strengths can overshadow weaknesses, and that is exactly what happened to India against Bangladesh.

The Men in Blue looked set for a big total after reaching 83/1 in eight overs. A score of 200-plus was on the cards, especially given that India bats deep. However, contrary to expectations, they managed to accumulate only 85 runs in the remaining 12 overs, finishing on 168/6.

For the second time in this tournament, India’s middle order was exposed. Captain Suryakumar Yadav has spoken about players being flexible with their batting positions. In T20 cricket, flexibility is essential. Batters must be versatile enough to play at any position. Agreed. But far more important is clarity of role and proper execution of plans out in the middle. This is where India’s batting group is losing the plot. Time at the crease is crucial. Even for a seasoned T20 batter like Suryakumar Yadav, it was tough to come in and start playing his shots. The Indian captain was dismissed for 5 after facing 11 deliveries. Since the first game against Pakistan, Surya hasn’t spent much time at the crease. It is high time he started batting regularly at number 3. Experimenting in a few games is fine, but doing so routinely can backfire, which is exactly what is happening with India.

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India’s journey so far in the tournament has revolved around Abhishek. The swashbuckling opener has carried the team, and while Gill has chipped in, who else has? Against Oman too, India experimented with their batting, and again, it didn’t work.

Now is the time for India to rework their strategy, or one day off for Abhishek could prove to be very costly.