India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bat first in the historic one-off T20I against Japan at the Sano International Cricket Ground on Tuesday, September 22. However, the Indian side suffered an early setback as Abhishek Sharma failed to continue his impressive recent form.

Abhishek entered the match on the back of a sensational century against Afghanistan in the third and final T20I in Delhi last week. The left-hander, who had been in excellent touch, was expected to provide India with another explosive start. Instead, his stay at the crease lasted just one delivery.

Japan pacer Charlie Hara-Hinze gave the hosts a dream start by dismissing Abhishek Sharma in the opening over. The bowler delivered on the leg stump, with Abhishek attempting to work the ball towards fine leg. However, the Indian opener got a top edge that went high into the air.

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Shoma Sugaya-Slater showed excellent awareness to run back from the short-field position and complete a superb catch. Abhishek was therefore dismissed for a golden duck, leaving India with an early blow in the landmark contest. Interestingly, Hara-Hinze had also dismissed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in 2024, adding another notable connection to his memorable start against India.

The dismissal also saw Abhishek enter the record books for an unwanted reason. He became the Indian opener with the most golden ducks in T20Is.

ABHISHEK SHARMA GOES FOR A GOLDEN DUCK!!😭😭 pic.twitter.com/1ppEi6oB71

— muhammad zeeshan (@pctxzeeshanalt) September 22, 2026

Most Golden Ducks by Indian Openers in T20Is:

5 – Abhishek Sharma*
4 – Rohit Sharma
3 – Sanju Samson
2 – KL Rahul
1 – Murali Vijay
1 – Ajinkya Rahane
1 – Prithvi Shaw
1 – Shikhar Dhawan
1 – Virat Kohli
1 – Shubman Gill

Abhishek Sharma also registered another unwanted record in T20 cricket. His golden duck against Japan was his 10th duck in T20 matches in 2026, the most by any player in a calendar year. The Punjab batter moved past Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan and Pakistan’s Shadab Khan, who recorded nine ducks each in 2019 and 2024 respectively.

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Most Ducks in a Calendar Year in T20s:

10 – Abhishek Sharma (2026)*
9 – Rashid Khan (2019)
9 – Shadab Khan (2024)

With more T20 cricket still to come, Abhishek Sharma currently holds the unwanted record for the most ducks in a calendar year.