IND vs NZ 2026: Difficult to find any weakness in Abhishek Sharma's batting, admits clueless Jacob Oram

New Zealand bowling coach Jacob Oram has candidly admitted just how disruptive India's opening batter Abhishek Sharma has been for his side in the ongoing T20I series. Abhishek has been in outright demolition mode through the rubber, piling up 152 runs from three innings at an average of 76 and a fiery strike-rate of 271.42. It’s not just the numbers that have rattled the tourists; it’s the manner of the damage.

Abhishek set the tone early with a belligerent 84 off 35 deliveries, an innings laced with five boundaries and eight towering sixes. He then turned the heat up further in the third T20I, smashing an unbeaten 68* from just 20 balls to help India race to an unassailable 3–0 series lead. The disbelief in the New Zealand camp was summed up perfectly when players were spotted jokingly checking his bat after the carnage.

Speaking ahead of the next game, Oram conceded that containing Abhishek has been close to impossible, especially once the pressure mounts and plans begin to unravel. The former all-rounder added that the series, despite the one-sided scoreline, is serving a larger purpose for the BlackCaps as they look ahead to the subsequent T20 World Cup.

“The answer to that is simple: it’s very difficult. When you look at his strike-rate, it’s hard, first, to identify any real weakness in his game, and then, secondly, to execute a plan against him. Execution is the hardest thing in cricket, whether you’re batting or bowling,” Oram said in the press conference ahead of the fourth T20I.

“At the same time, when there is a bit of chaos out in the middle, with the ball flying everywhere, it takes real composure to stay calm, remain controlled, remember the plans and then execute them. But this is all part of the learning process. This is exactly what this series was about, and despite the results, if we come out of it better for the experience and are somewhere near the Super Eights, the semi-finals and the final in March, then this period will have been hugely valuable for us, because we will have taken so much from it,” he added.

Kiwis reinforce squad for last two games

The Mitchell Santner-led bowling unit has been taken apart across the three games so far, conceding totals of over 200 in the first two matches before watching India chase down 154 in a mere ten overs. Alongside Abhishek, India’s batting depth has piled on the misery, with Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya all striking at will and denying the visitors any breathing space.

Bringing in the services of Lockie Ferguson, Jimmy Neesham and Tim Seifert for the remainder of the series, the Kiwis have managed to reinforce their squad and pose some fight in the fourth and fifth matches. Finn Allen is also set to link up with the side for the fifth and final match of the series in Thiruvananthapuram on January 31.

With pride on the line, the visitors will be banking on their experienced campaigners to restore some balance and avoid a series whitewash, though stopping Abhishek might still be the toughest assignment of all.