Key keywords: Abhishek Sharma, 7 T20 ducks in a year, unwanted Indian cricket record, T20 batting slump 2024, first Indian 7 T20 ducks, IPL batting performance, Indian domestic T20 cricket, men's T20 cricket records Indian young batting all-rounder Abhishek Sharma has etched his name in the record books for all the wrong reasons, becoming the first male Indian cricketer to register 7 ducks in T20 cricket in a single calendar year. The unwanted milestone came during his side's recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy fixture against Railways, where the left-handed batter was dismissed for a golden duck off the very first delivery he faced, taking his 2024 T20 duck count to 7 across IPL, domestic T20 tournaments, and his brief T20I appearances for India. Prior to Sharma's 2024 slump, the record for the most T20 ducks by an Indian male cricketer in a year stood at 5, jointly held by three batters including Rishabh Pant in 2021 and Ishan Kishan in 2022. Sharma's 7 ducks have come in 29 T20 appearances this year, a stat that has raised alarms among both national selectors and his IPL franchise Punjab Kings' think tank, given his reputation as a power-hitting top-order prospect for India's future T20 setup. The 23-year-old, who rose to fame for his blistering 42-ball 98 for Punjab Kings in the 2023 IPL, has struggled massively with shot selection in 2024, often attempting to clear the boundary off the very first delivery of his innings without reading the pitch or the bowler's line and length. Cricket analysts have pointed out that his eagerness to make an immediate impact has backfired repeatedly, with 4 of his 7 ducks this year coming in the first three balls of his innings. While some critics have called for Sharma to be dropped from both the domestic senior setup and the IPL franchise's playing XI, others have argued that the young batter is going through a normal rough patch that most power hitters face early in their career. National selectors have indicated that they will continue to monitor his performance over the next two months of domestic cricket before taking a call on his selection for the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka scheduled for early 2025. Sharma himself, in a recent post-match interaction, admitted that he has been working closely with his batting coach to fix his technical flaws and adjust his approach to the opening overs of his innings, adding that he is determined to bounce back and prove his worth to his teams in the coming fixtures.