Abhishek Sharma (AFP Photo) NEW DELHI: Abhishek Sharma didn’t expect the T20 World Cup 2026 to start the way he had planned, dreamed and desired. Known for his blistering batting and high strike rate while pummeling bowlers all over the park, the superb opener endured a nightmare start to the tournament. Abhishek was out for a duck in India’s opening match against the USA and then failed to score again in the next match against arch-rivals Pakistan.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!In the third game against the Netherlands, he was given a chance by the team management, but it was the same story for Abhishek – a third duck in a row.
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Disappointment, lack of confidence and hunger to score was clearly visible on Abhishek’s face. That was when captain Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir stepped in to support the youngster in his tough phase.
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Abhishek has now revealed the radical advice he got from Gambhir and Surya during his darkest phase in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026.Speaking at the India Today Conclave, Abhishek admitted that he was close to an emotional breakdown after his second consecutive duck in the tournament.“Slowly you get used to it. But it’s bad (when there’s criticism). It happens in India because people expect a lot from you. After I got 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 now)’,” Abhi said now on social media. “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 the life of a cricketer. You have to listen and you’re going to be criticized. All you can do is listen and ignore. That’s because they have a lot of expectations from you. Sometimes you deliver and sometimes you don’t. This is what I expected.”After scoring three ducks in a row, Abhishek finally got back among the runs with 15 against South Africa. He soon got back into rhythm, scoring 55 against Zimbabwe and looking close to his best.However, he struggled again against England, managing just nine runs.All eyes were on him in the title fight. But this time, Abhishek had other plans. In the final, he crushed the New Zealand bowlers all over the park, scoring a blistering 52 off just 21 balls and sharing a 98-run opening partnership with Sanju Samson to lay a solid foundation for India.India went on to post a massive 255/5 in their allotted 20 overs before bowling out New Zealand for 159 to win the 2026 T20 World Cup title.This was India’s third T20 World Cup triumph, having previously lifted the trophy in 2007 and 2024.
