The No.1 T20I batter in the world, Abhishek Sharma had a dismal start to his campaign in the T20 World Cup 2026. Expected to provide India with quick starts in the powerplay, the dynamic left-hander failed to score a single run in the group-stage, registering a hat-trick of ducks.
His first runs came in the Super 8 stage against South Africa, but could manage only 15 as India suffered a heavy defeat against the Proteas. While he managed a fifty against Zimbabwe next, Abhishek once again had a dip in the virtual quarter-final clash against West Indies and then in the semis against England with scores of 10 and nine respectively.
While there was no question about his skillset, Abhishek succumbed under the pressure of living upto his lofty repute. Nevertheless, he stepped when the team needed him most and blasted the fastest fifty of T20 World Cup 2026 off just 18 balls in the summit clash.
ALSO READ:
When quizzed on how he managed to turn around his fortunes and the process, Abhishek revealed in the post-match interview after India won the T20 World Cup 2026 Final,
“The captain and coach had faith in me. Even I was doubting myself. I had never experienced this before, it was a tough tournament. I was just doing my process, trying to take it one game after another, but it wasn’t easy. But I love this team because the way they backed me. It wasn’t easy for me because going through the whole year i was doing well for the team, but in the big tournament I wasn’t able to. But the faith the team and management showed in me. I got emotional in the middle of the tournament and wanted to talk to the coach and captain and they said you’ll win us the big games.”
Overall, he finished the tournament with 141 runs in eight games, averaging 17.62 with a strike rate of 158.42.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
