Is Abhishek Sharma Really a Slogger?

In the last few days, a statement by former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir created a lot of discussion. On a Pakistani TV show, Amir commented on young Indian opener Abhishek Sharma and called him a slogger.

Muhammad Amir remains firm on his statement about Abhishek Sharma.

“He’s just a slogger, simple as that. You’re playing on small grounds and flat wickets. You haven’t really been tested yet.” pic.twitter.com/rEfeYsd8hn

— Sheri. (@CallMeSheri1_) February 14, 2026

In cricket, a slogger is a player who hits the ball very hard, often without much control. In the local language, slogging is also known by names like “lapeta” or “lappa chalana.” As soon as Amir made this comment, Indian fans reacted strongly, and he was heavily trolled on social media.

If we look at Abhishek Sharma’s recent innings calmly as cricket fans and observe Amir’s statement carefully, Amir’s point does seem partly true. There is no doubt that Abhishek Sharma is a very talented batter. Under the guidance of former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh, he has improved his cricket skills a lot. But when we closely watch the way he has been getting out in recent matches, Amir’s comment starts to make some sense.

Before the T20 World Cup, Abhishek Sharma played his last match against New Zealand. While trying to play a slog shot on the leg side, he was clean bowled by Lockie Ferguson. In the first World Cup match against the USA, he tried to avoid the slog and played towards the off side, but he ended up giving a catch at deep long-on off Ali Khan’s bowling, caught by Krishnamurthi.

He did not play against Namibia because he was unwell. Against Pakistan, he again tried to play on the leg side, but Salman Ali Agha’s spinning delivery did not clear long-on, and he was caught by Shaheen. In the match against the Netherlands, Abhishek repeated the same slogging mistake, failed to judge spinner Aryan Dutt’s ball properly, and was clean bowled.

If we look at Abhishek Sharma’s wagon wheel from recent matches, nearly 60–70% of his shots go towards the leg side. Small boundaries and flat pitches suit him very well. But when the pitch becomes slightly tricky or offers a turn, Abhishek struggles.

Abhishek Sharma should take Amir’s comment in a positive way. As Indians, we should learn even from our critics. Abhishek needs to practice more against spin in the nets and focus more on drives rather than only slog

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