Legendary former India captain Kapil Dev on Friday backed struggling opener Abhishek Sharma, saying the youngster must have faith in his abilities ahead of India’s men’s T20 World Cup final in India against New Zealand.
Kapil said the Indian team management should continue to show confidence in Abhishek the opener has yet to get going in the tournament.
Defending champions India will face New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
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Abhishek has only scored a half-century in the competition against the Zimbabwe national cricket team and his inconsistent returns have made him a potential weak link if India stick with him in the final.
However, Kapil believes that the trust and support from the team management can help the youngster rediscover his form.
“Just believe in your team and the management should believe in the player. And Abhishek should believe in himself that ‘I can perform and I will perform’. There is still one match – the final,” Kapil said on the sidelines of a golf event.
India secured a place in the final after beating England by seven runs in a thrilling semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday night.
Despite posting a mammoth 253, India were under pressure thanks to a terrific counter attack from Jacob Bethell who smashed 105 off 48 balls and Will Jacks who contributed 35 off 20 balls. Kapil admitted that he did not expect the match to be so close.
“I didn’t think it would be that difficult when India scored over 250, it was a great game. Yes, India won, congratulations to them, but in the end it was a cricket win. I enjoyed it a lot, but not as a bowler,” quipped the pace legend.
Kapil also praised Indian spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for his composure in a high-pressure game and said his performance in the death overs showed why he is considered the best bowler in the world.
“Bumrah is the number one bowler in the world, he is the best. Why is he the best? Because he bowls under pressure and the way he bowls. He deserves all the respect,” he said.
Kapil was equally impressed with opener Sanju Samson, whose 42-ball 89 laid the foundation for India’s huge number.
“He’s a great cricketer, a great player can get off the mark sometimes, which happened to Abhishek, but if they’re big, they’re big and they’ll come back. And Sanju has really played amazing cricket in the last two matches,” he said, referring to his match-winning knock of 97 in the must-win Super Eight against West Indies.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
06 Mar 2026 18:43 IST
