India National Cricket Team opening batter Abhishek Sharma had an embarrassing moment on the field during the ongoing five-match T20I series opener against the New Zealand National Cricket Team on Thursday (October 22) at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

The left-handed batter dropped a simple catch of Daryl Mitchell off Mayank Yadav's bowling, giving the New Zealand batter a big lifeline and leaving the Indian fast bowler disappointed. Earlier, Abhishek Nayar shares views on Shreyas Iyer-Suryakumar Yadav captaincy comparison.

Abhishek Sharma makes another fielding blunder, gives Daryl Mitchell lifeline

The incident took place on the third ball of the 11th over when Mayank Yadav bowled a full delivery at a speed of 142 kmph. Daryl Mitchell moved his front leg away and tried to hit the ball over the corner, but he failed to control his shot and sent it towards long-on.

Abhishek Sharma was stationed at long-on and had a simple opportunity to complete the catch. However, the Indian opener failed to hold on to the ball, giving the lifeline to Mitchell. He was batting on 16 runs at that time, and Mayank was left disappointed after missing the chance to claim his second wicket in the ongoing first T20I at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

अभिषेक शर्मा ने फिर चौड़ा एक और कैच। india "New Zealand" के 1s मैच में आसान सा कैच छोड़ दिया Abhishek ने। इस खिलाडी को सिर्फ वैटिंग आती है वो भी 6 ओवर तक फिल्डिंग तो बिलकुल नहीं आती हैं। https://t.co/BKsQfeCuw9

— Rocky Bhai (@Rocky_186) October 22, 2026

Although Abhishek's mistake gave Mitchell another chance, the New Zealand batter could not make a huge impact with the bat. Arshdeep Singh eventually dismissed Mitchell for 28 runs.

Abhishek Sharma trolled for dropping an easy catch

The dropped catch quickly caught the attention of fans, with some comparing Abhishek's mistake to Pakistan star Babar Azam's costly dropped catches.

Many fans have been slamming the Punjab lad’s poor fielding and calling him an average player who can only bat, and that too only for 6 overs. Amid this, Bhuvneshwar Kumar sets world record on India comeback, surpasses Tim Southee.

💔 DROPPED CATCH! MAYANK YADAV DENIED HIS SECOND WICKET! 🏏 Mayank Yadav missed out on his second wicket in the 1st T20I against New Zealand as Abhishek Sharma dropped an easy catch of Daryl Mitchell off his bowling. Mitchell was batting on 16 runs when Abhishek Sharma gave him a lifeline! 😬 Image Credit: Sonyliv #INDvsNZ #MayankYadav #AbhishekSharma #DarylMitchell #TeamIndia

— CricInformer (@CricInformer) October 22, 2026

Abhishek Sharma is such a jhantu fielder, he dropped this sitter man & he has tendency of dropping such catches!! You are playing for the best team in the world. Raise your fielding standards! https://t.co/owXS5ha4UA

— Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) October 22, 2026

Abhishek Sharma’s fielding often goes under the radar because of his explosive batting, but he has dropped a few sitters in recent times. #NZvsIND

— Pratyush Raj (@pratyush93_raj) October 22, 2026

Abhishek Sharma is the worst fielder in the Indian team. He dropped another easy catch today. https://t.co/OxWiUq1nxo

— Arav (@context313) October 22, 2026

Abhishek Sharma dropped Catch of Daryl Mitchell 😭 - Tough luck Mayank Yadav Abhishek makes mees of it.!! https://t.co/8eitBTOeV9

— MANU (@IMManu_14) October 22, 2026

TBH there is so much competition in Indian T20 side that such lapses should also warrant dropping from the team Abhishek Sharma is a serial culprit in the category of dropped catches He may play a blinde n get away with the bat but high time that catching should be improved

— Madhur Kapoor (@MadhurKapoor12) October 22, 2026

Abhishek Sharma will ritually drop a catch in every match!!!!!!

— tarun puri (@tarunpuri10) October 22, 2026

Abhishek Sharma gave Daryl Mitchell a lifeline but Bhuvi made sure he didn't make us pay for it! Monst€r like Daryl Mitchell literally would've been VERY expensive if he had stayed longer. ...!🔥💀 #INDvsNZ https://t.co/L1wuLU6nky

— Nafees (@Nafees_22) October 22, 2026

Dear @BCCI , Abhishek Sharma seems to be too prone to DROPPING even the simplest of catches; why not DROP him from the side instead?

— Manish Kumar (@manishshenmar) October 22, 2026

Doesn’t Yuvraj Singh teach Abhishek Sharma the basics of fielding? 🤔 If a legendary all rounder is mentoring you shouldn’t your fielding standards be improving too? How can you aspire to be a modern day superstar while making basic fielding mistakes? https://t.co/0OtUA7Aa8g

— Tide Bhai (@Public_Voice0) October 22, 2026

Abhishek Sharma forgets fielding lessons?

Abhishek Sharma's poor fielding has often overshadowed his explosive batting. His habit of dropping easy catches, especially during important matches, was slammed and mocked by fans and experts.

Abhishek had two big catches dropped against West Indies in a Super Eight game at Eden Gardens in the 2026 T20 World Cup. He also came under fire for a couple of costly misses against Pakistan at the 2025 Asia Cup.

Former India fielding coach T. Dilip worked on Abhishek's catching technique, hand positioning and concentration, and scheduled extra practice sessions for him after those errors. Yet, the left-hander left the Indian team frustrated with his poor fielding efforts on the crucial New Zealand tour opener.

Abhishek eyes strong comeback in New Zealand

Well, Abhishek will aim to make a strong comeback in the ongoing five-match T20I series in New Zealand after a flop show in the recent home series against the West Indies.

The opener had smashed only one fifty in the five-match T20I series against the West Indies. However, he had a remarkable year with the bat, scoring over 900 runs in 2026 at an incredible strike rate of 202.