SRH Opener Abhishek Sharma Faces Reality Check From AB de Villiers Ahead of IPL 2026

As the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 approaches, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener Abhishek Sharma will be hoping to build on his strong performances from the past two seasons. While Sharma has impressed fans with his swashbuckling style, former South African great AB de Villiers has highlighted the need for the 25-year-old batter to embrace greater responsibility on the field.

Speaking on JioStar, de Villiers said, “He’s 25, not 20 anymore. This is definitely the phase where he has to start taking more responsibility. There will be media pressure and people asking him to become more consistent. We know he was a little inconsistent during the T20 World Cup, which was disappointing. He had a good finish in the final, but otherwise, it was a quiet tournament for him. He was erratic at times.”

Sharma has scored over 400 runs in each of the last two IPL seasons, maintaining a strike rate close to 200, and has been a key contributor to SRH’s batting lineup. De Villiers acknowledged these achievements but noted that consistency remains a challenge. “Abhishek had an unbelievable IPL 2025, scoring close to a 200 strike rate and averaging in the 30s, which is good for an opening batter scoring over 400 runs in the tournament, but it could have been better. Once again, that word consistency comes to mind. It’s a personal challenge he will have to overcome mentally,” he said.

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De Villiers also stressed the importance of tactical awareness and understanding match situations. “The answer to his success, and to the longevity of his career and consistency, lies in his understanding of and respect for different match-ups. A bowler comes on—suppose it’s Bumrah—and the game is on the line. How do you handle that? Do you attack him, or do you respect it and get to the other end? That’s where you have to be true to yourself as a batter,” he explained.

He further advised Sharma to adopt a calculated approach when facing challenging bowlers. “You have to feel, ‘There’s a threat here. I’m not comfortable. I’m not going to give it away. I’ll give it a couple of minutes and see if something else comes up.’ That is the only missing link in his game still. It’s about understanding that sometimes a bowler is going to get it right to you. That’s where he needs to be clever and really believe in his game plan,” de Villiers said.

The former South African star concluded by highlighting the importance of discipline and adherence to a well-thought-out strategy. “He will have a blueprint that’s worked for him over the years, and he just has to fine-tune that, believe in it more than ever, and stick to it,” de Villiers added, signalling a challenging but promising season ahead for the young SRH opener.

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