Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for ducks seven times in T20Is in 2026. After his golden duck against Japan, he equalled the record for most T20I ducks in a calendar year.

Abhishek Sharma

A wicket off the first ball and a zero on the scoreboard, Abhishek Sharma's innings against Japan couldn't have gone much worse. This golden duck marked his seventh T20I duck in 2026. He also equaled the record for most T20I ducks in a calendar year.

India and Japan played a T20 International match at the Sano International Cricket Ground on Tuesday. Due to rain, the match was reduced to 5 overs a side. India batted first and Abhishek Sharma opened the innings with Sanju Samson. However, Abhishek only faced one ball before being dismissed for 0 by Charlie Hara-Hinze. Shoma Sugaya-Slater took the catch.

Zero for the 7th time in 2026

The golden duck against Japan was Abhishek's seventh duck in T20Is this year. With this statistic, Abhishek Sharma joins Pakistan's Saiman Ayub, Rwanda's Jappy Bimenimana and Orchid Tuyisenge as batsmen with the most T20I ducks. Saiman Ayub made seven ducks in 2025, while Bimenimana and Tuyisenge recorded the same number of ducks in 2023.

This was not only Abhishek's seventh duck, but also his fifth golden duck in T20 Internationals in 2026. This means he has been dismissed first ball five times this year. This also sets a record for the most golden ducks in a calendar year.

10 ducks in all T20 matches

Taking all T20 matches into account, Abhishek now has 10 ducks in 2026. This makes him the batsman with the most T20 ducks in a calendar year. Previously, this figure was 9 ducks, achieved by Rashid Khan in 2019 and Shadab Khan in 2024.

But 2026 hasn't been a year of ducks for Abhishek. He also had a stellar performance this year, scoring a century off just 30 balls against Afghanistan. His golden duck against Japan may have earned him an unwanted record, but he has performed well on numerous occasions throughout the year.