ABU DHABI — Abhishek Sharma extended his run of poor form with a three-ball duck in India’s final Group A match against the Netherlands on Feb. 18 in Ahmedabad. Wearing Mohammed Siraj’s jersey as he walked out to bat, the 25-year-old opener failed to trouble the scorers for the third consecutive innings.

India racked up 193 for 6 before bowling out the Netherlands for 176 for 7 to secure a 17-run victory and advance to the Super 8 stage. Sharma’s struggles drew sharp commentary from Aakash Chopra, the ex-India opener, in a video on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra.’

Chopra zeroed in on Sharma’s choice of attire. He first donned Arshdeep Singh’s jersey before switching to Siraj’s for the Netherlands game. ‘What is Abhishek thinking? Why is Abhishek not wearing his T-shirt? Is there something that’s going on in his head?’ Chopra asked. ‘Nothing will happen with the number on the T-shirt.’

The pundit suggested the switches pointed to a rattled mindset. Sharma might believe he needs divine help, Chopra said, adding that the youngster appeared to doubt his own abilities slightly. He linked it to Sharma’s repetitive dismissals, caught in the deep each time.

Recapping the sequence, Chopra noted Sharma’s first-ball exit at Wankhede Stadium. In Colombo, it took four balls before a similar fate. Against the Netherlands, Aryan Dutt induced another catch at deep cover. ‘I am not surprised at all with the way he got out at deep cover,’ Chopra said. Players return to their strengths there, he explained, and Sharma excels at those shots.

Problems arose with shot selection against spin, though. In the U.S. game and versus the Netherlands, Sharma faced off-spinners Salman Agha and Aryan Dutt bowling around the stumps. Both aimed to keep the ball within the stumps. Normally, Sharma makes room and lofts straight over cover, according to Chopra.

Instead, he played cross-batted shots. He misread the length both times. One ballooned off the bat sticker; the other missed the line and hit the leg stump. ‘He is probably not getting that confidence currently,’ Chopra observed.

Chopra stopped short of telling Sharma to abandon aggressive play. Shot selection needs work, he urged. Use the straight bat. Hit down the ground. Avoid those cross-batted risks.

Sharma’s dip contrasts his IPL exploits, where he smashed 525 runs at a strike rate above 200 last season. India now eyes the Super 8s with openers under scrutiny. Chopra’s take highlights the mental side of international pressure.

India’s campaign rolls on. Sharma must shake off the funk—and perhaps stick to his own jersey.