Shastri's advice for Abhishek after Kishan steals the show

Broadcast details for Men's T20 World Cup 2026

India great Ravi Shastri has urged Abhishek Sharma to be a little bit more patient early in his innings during the remainder of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Abhishek suffered his second consecutive failure with the bat when he was dismissed without scoring during India's emphatic 61-run victory over arch-rival Pakistan in Colombo on Sunday, with the No.1 ranked T20I batter in the world yet to score through two innings at the tournament.

While his failures with the bat haven't stopped India's unbeaten run, Shastri knows Abhishek will be required to discover his best form at the pointy end of the event when the stakes are raised and the opposition is even tougher.

And Shastri suggested Abhishek should use a little bit more patience when at the crease as his scoring opportunities will open up later in his innings once he is set.

"I think he's due, but he just has to give himself a little bit of time," Shastri told Sanjana Ganesan after India's triumph over Pakistan.

"Such things happen and you can go off the boil, but he's just got to give himself a little more time until he gets back on track.

"Because for him to convert those dot balls later on into boundaries and sixes, is not difficult."

With Abhishek somewhat subdued it has been Ishan Kishan that has filled the void and the talented left-hander produced a superb knock against Pakistan as he smashed 77 from just 40 deliveries to pick up the Player of the Match award.

It was Kishan's second consecutive half-century at the T20 World Cup and Shastri believes the talented 27-year-old is currently at the top of his game.

"He's batting like a dream at the moment," Shastri exclaimed.

"Striking on that track (Colombo pitch) at close to 200 is unreal.

"Every batter didn't find it easy, whether it was Indian or Pakistani, because the ball was stopping and for him to strike the way he did, and what I liked was how quickly he assessed the conditions."