Just days after lighting up Delhi with a record-breaking century, Abhishek Sharma endured a nightmare outing in Sano. The India opener was dismissed for a golden duck by Japan all-rounder Charlie Hara-Hinze in the one-off T20I,  leaving him with an unwanted piece of history.

The southpaw now holds the record for the most ducks in a single calendar year. He also became the first player ever to be dismissed for a duck 10 times in one calendar year.

Players With Most T20 Ducks In A Calendar Year:

• Abhishek Sharma: 10 ducks (2026)*
• Rashid Khan: 9 ducks (2019)
• Shadab Khan: 9 ducks (2024)

It's a sharp contrast to what happened just last week. Abhishek produced a stunning century against Afghanistan in the third T20I at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium, smashing 108 off just 34 balls and reaching his hundred in only 30 deliveries. India posted 221/7 after being asked to bat first.

Overall, it was the third-fastest T20 hundred ever and the fastest by an Indian batter. Rohit Sharma previously held the record, scoring a century off 35 balls against Sri Lanka in 2017.

Former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya recently spoke about Abhishek's growth, saying the youngster has firmly established himself in the Indian team and understands his role well. "He is a player who has established himself in the team. He knows how important his place is and (he is) for the team, what he needs for the team. And he has given his best shot," Jayasuriya said. "So these are young players who are in India, so that's a good future for Indian cricket."