Abhishek Sharma has opened up about how his father stood by him and even performed paath and puja when he was going through a tough test in the T20 World Cup. On 8 March in Ahmedabad, Abhishek became the world champion as India lifted the title for the third time and became the first team to successfully defend their T20 World Cup crown.
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Abhishek smashed a match-winning 18-ball half-century in the final against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium, but the tournament got off to a disastrous start for him, with three ducks against the United States, Pakistan and the Netherlands.
He also missed the group stage match against Namibia due to a stomach ailment. Although he scored a fifty against Zimbabwe in Mumbai in the Super 8s, India’s must-win matches against the West Indies and England have been tough before he finally showed his class in the summit clash.
Speaking at the India Today conclave in New Delhi, Abhishek credited his father and family for helping him through this difficult phase.
“He has seen me go through similar phases in junior cricket for India as well, so it was not easy for him and my family to watch me go through that phase. But the way they managed it was remarkable. They came to all the matches and tried to take me to different places to keep me off my mind,” Abhishek said.
“If you ask him now, he’d probably say he wasn’t scared or tense, but he definitely was. I could see he was upset. He even tried everything – paath and puja, things he’d probably never done before,” he said.
ABHISHEK SHARMA REVEALS FINAL GOAL
Abhishek also spoke about his ultimate goal of representing India across all formats, but stressed that he does not put undue pressure on himself for things beyond his control. The young batsman said he is focused on following the process he has learned over the last two years under Yuvraj Singh and believes the key is to continue playing in whatever format he gets an opportunity to play.
“Obviously the ultimate goal is to play all formats for India as much as possible. But I have stopped thinking too much about these things as they are not in my hands. I just want to follow the process Yuvraj Singh has taught me over the last two years,” Abhishek said.
“That’s the one thing I’ve learned – if it’s not in my hands, I shouldn’t worry about it. I just need to step up and help win games in whatever format I’m playing. But of course playing ODI cricket for India is also a dream if I get that opportunity,” added Abhishek.
In eight matches at the T20 World Cup, Abhishek has scored 141 runs at an average of 17.62 and a strike rate of 158.42. Despite an inconsistent campaign, he managed to retain his top spot in the ICC T20I batsman rankings. With 96 sixes and a strike rate of 190.46 across 46 T20Is, Abhishek has already shown why he is considered a brute force in the shortest format.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
14 March 2026 20:22 IST
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