Abhishek Sharma made 3 ducks and two fifties in the T20 World cup 2026.
Abhishek Sharma didn’t have the debut T20 World Cup 2026 that he was hoping for. Before the tournament, he caught a stomach bug and missed one game against Namibia. However, he failed to score a single run in the group stage with ducks against the USA, Pakistan, and the Netherlands.
He then showed some form against Zimbabwe, scoring 55, but made 10 and 9 in crucial games against the West Indies and in the semis against England. However, Abhishek came good in the final against New Zealand, scoring his typical 52 runs to lay the foundation of India’s trophy win.
Abhishek's face reflected dissatisfaction, lack of confidence, and a desire to score. That's when captain Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir stepped in to help the youngster through his difficult period.
Abhishek has now disclosed the unorthodox advice he received from head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav at his worst period in the just-concluded T20 World Cup 2026. Abhishek admitted that after his second consecutive duck in the tournament, he was close to an emotional breakdown.
“Slowly you get used to it. But it does feel bad (when there is criticism). That is going to happen in India because people have a lot of expectations from you. After I scored three ducks, Surya, GG sir, and Hardik Pandya came to me and said, "Phone pakad, social media hata abhi ke abhi [take your phone and uninstall social media right now]," Abhishek Sharma said at the India Today Conclave.
“That was the first thing I did after my second zero. That actually helped me a bit. I was getting a lot of suggestions and comments from people. That’s how a cricketer’s life is. You have to listen, and you will be criticized. All you can do is listen and ignore. That is because they have a lot of expectations from you. Sometimes you deliver and sometimes you don’t. I expected this,” he added.
Abhishek’s 52 in 21 balls, Sanju Samson’s 89, and Ishan Kishan’s 54, along with a cameo by Shivam Dube, helped India post 255/5 in 20 overs in the final. New Zealand was restricted to 159 runs as India won the final by a massive 96 runs and became the first team to win the T20 World Cup three times.