Abhishek Sharma has not performed according to expectations.
Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif wants India to drop Abhishek Sharma for the T20 World Cup 2026 final against New Zealand. The batter has blown hot and cold in the tournament so far, with only 89 runs at an average of 12.71 and a strike rate of 130.88 in seven innings, including one fifty.
On his YouTube channel, Kaif explained that Abhishek has played an ample number of matches, and since he hasn’t regained his form, India can look to make a change at the top. He wants Rinku Singh to replace him in the XI because he performed well at almost every step.
“India can give Abhishek Sharma a break. He has played a lot of matches now. There is no harm in making changes. You can make changes in the shortest format. When you look in the dugout to see who can replace Abhishek Sharma, you see Rinku Singh sitting there. So, bring him in. A guy is struggling, and another guy is sitting outside despite doing well.”
Rinku Singh played the initial five games – all four in the group stage and the first Super 8 one – before India went to Sanju Samson for tactical reasons. His performances were also below par, with 24 runs at an abysmal average of 8 and a strike rate of 82.75 across five outings, where he faced just 29 balls.
India brought Samson back at the top to break an all-LHB top order of Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Tilak Varma, who showed weaknesses against spinners. The move has worked brilliantly for them, as Samson kept slow bowlers on their toes and also gave a fresh job to Tilak at No.5, which he aced.
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Tilak has whacked pacers at will in the slightly lower order, and spinners haven’t been able to bowl him as much as before. If India drop Abhishek, they will revert to the same position as before, and Kishan will need to open again, followed by Tilak and Suryakumar Yadav.
Both Tilak and Suryakumar struggled to hit spinners in the middle overs, and New Zealand have a solid spin attack to target this vulnerability. Rinku’s role required hitting pace in the lower order, but Tilak has shown the capability to do it in the recent couple of matches.
India can afford to promote Shivam Dube, as they did in the semifinal, if spinners are operating to allow Tilak to face pacers as much as possible. Then, Abhishek Sharma himself is a match-winner who can win games on his day, so that’s a gamble worth taking in the kind of batting depth the team has.
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