Former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir has branded Indian opener Abhishek Sharma as "just a slogger" in a blunt assessment of the young batsman's technique ahead of Sunday's crucial Men's T20 World Cup 2026 encounter between the arch-rivals.

 

Speaking on TV show, Amir pulled no punches in his critique of Sharma's high-risk batting approach.

 

"From what I have seen of him so far, in my opinion, if I'm being completely honest, he looks like a slogger to me. He just tries to hit every ball. If it connects, it connects. But most of the time, the chances of failure are higher," Amir said.

 

The left-arm pacer pointed to Sharma's inconsistent record as evidence of his technical limitations.

 

"You must have noticed that he might play eight innings and score in only one of them, while in the others he gets 10, 15, 0, 20. The way he swings the bat, there doesn't seem to be much technique. It's more like, 'Just give me the ball and I'll swing.' Technically, I haven't found him very sound," he added.

 

Amir acknowledged that Sharma can be destructive on his day but stressed the dangers of such an unpredictable style.

 

"I'm giving an honest opinion. I'm also saying that on the day it comes off, it really comes off, and he can hurt any team. But his game is very high risk. Secondly, he even struggles against a good slower ball," he said.

 

The former Pakistan international set clear conditions for when he would consider Sharma a complete batsman.

 

"I'll consider him a proper batsman when I see him handling even slight swing properly, tackling it well, and middling his shots consistently. Then I'll say yes, he's a complete batsman. For now, it's just, if it connects, it connects," Amir explained.

 

Former Pakistan captain and wicketkeeper Rashid Latif joined the discussion, offering his own technical analysis of Sharma's batting.

 

"Apart from mostly domestic cricket, he has mainly performed in T20Is. His upper body doesn't come forward much. He gives himself a lot of room. That's why he looks like a slogger, because he's ready to hit every ball," Latif observed.

 

Latif suggested that Sharma's aggressive style could create problems when defensive techniques become necessary.

 

"When he tries to play a defensive shot, he will face problems. He doesn't get into the proper line, so the reason he's been successful is that he's been focusing on just one thing. He hasn't really worked on his defence," he added.

 

Despite the criticism, Sharma's T20 numbers tell a story of explosive success. The left-handed opener has scored 1,297 runs in 39 matches at a blistering strike rate of 194.95, including eight half-centuries and two centuries.

 

Against Pakistan specifically, he has been even more destructive, scoring 110 runs in three matches at a strike rate of 189.65 with one half-century.

 

However, his tournament so far has been disappointing. Sharma fell for a first-ball duck against the USA, missed the Namibia match due to illness, and now faces uncertainty over his availability for the Pakistan clash.