Abhishek Sharma Sets Unwanted T20 Duck Record Against Japan

India opener Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for a golden duck against Japan in the one-off T20I in Sano on Tuesday, setting an unwanted record in the process. The left-handed batter was removed by Japan all-rounder Charlie Hara-Hinze and became the first player to register 10 ducks in a single calendar year in T20 cricket.

The dismissal came only days after Abhishek had produced a record-breaking century for India against Afghanistan. His scoreless outing against Japan underlined the sharp contrast between two recent appearances, with the opener moving from a landmark innings to a place at the top of an unwanted annual list.

Ten ducks in the 2026 calendar year

Abhishek’s golden duck took his tally to 10 ducks in T20 cricket in 2026. According to the record list cited after the Japan match, he moved clear of Rashid Khan, who recorded nine ducks in 2019, and Shadab Khan, who had nine in 2024.

A golden duck means a batter is dismissed from the first ball faced. For Abhishek, the dismissal against Japan was his 10th duck of the calendar year and established a new mark for the most ducks by a player in one year of T20 cricket.

The statistic is notable because it sits alongside the high-impact batting Abhishek displayed in India’s previous T20I series. The opener had been in the headlines after his innings against Afghanistan, but the Japan match added a very different individual milestone to his 2026 record.

India’s one-off T20I against Japan was played in Sano, where Charlie Hara-Hinze accounted for Abhishek. The source did not provide the full match result or India’s final score, but the early dismissal ensured that Abhishek’s individual record became the central talking point from his innings.

From a 30-ball hundred to a first-ball dismissal

Before facing Japan, Abhishek had struck 108 from 34 balls against Afghanistan in the third T20I at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium. He reached his century in 30 deliveries as India made 221/7 after being asked to bat first.

That hundred was the third-fastest in T20 cricket and the fastest by an Indian batter. Rohit Sharma had held the previous Indian record after reaching a century from 35 balls against Sri Lanka in 2017.

The scale of Abhishek’s Afghanistan innings makes the Japan dismissal especially striking. In the space of successive India appearances, he went from a 108-run innings and a 30-ball century to departing without scoring on the first ball he faced.

Abhishek’s 10-duck record is an unwanted one, but his recent results also show the extreme range of outcomes possible for an opener in T20 cricket. His century against Afghanistan brought a major individual batting record, while his golden duck against Japan placed him ahead of Rashid Khan and Shadab Khan on the annual ducks list.

For India, the immediate fact from the match in Sano is clear: Abhishek was dismissed by Charlie Hara-Hinze for a golden duck. For the player, it marked a historic but unwelcome 10th T20 duck of 2026.