Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has urged the team management to drop out-of-form Abhishek Sharma for the 2026 ICC Men’s Under-20 World Cup final against New Zealand. India will take on the Blackcaps in the title clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Abhishek endured a tough campaign in the tournament, breaking the 50-run mark only once and repeatedly battling the spin. The left-handed batsman was dropped by the spinners on four occasions, with opposition teams increasingly deploying spin during the powerplay to exploit his weaknesses.
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The 25-year-old’s struggles continued in the semi-finals, where he managed just nine runs off seven balls before being dismissed by Will Jacks in the second over. His latest appearance extended a slim run in the tournament where he posted scores of 0, 0, 0, 15, 55, 10 and 9 — for just 89 runs at an average of 12.71.
“It’s a very tough challenge. Abhishek Sharma is the No. 1 batsman in the ICC T20 rankings, but he hasn’t learned from his dismissals. He keeps getting into the same area where his hands are stuck on the spot. The bowlers are targeting that area and forcing mistakes. I’m afraid he either hasn’t changed his approach yet or he’s not able to change his approach,” Gava said.
Gavaskar suggested that the Indian think-tank, led by head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav, should consider promoting Ishan Kishan to open the innings alongside Sanju Samson, while also bringing Rinku Singh into the playing eleven in place of Abhishek.
“I would like to see Ishan Kishan opening the batting with Sanju Samson, with Rinku Singh coming into the side. Rinku has that belief – you’ve probably seen the ‘God’s Plan’ tattoo on his body – and sometimes things just work out for players like him,” Gavaskar added.
The former India captain also recommended a change in the bowling department and urged the team management to replace out-of-form spinner Varun Chakravarthy with left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav for the final.
Varun’s performance raised concerns in the final stages of the tournament. He returned figures of 1/47 against South Africa, 1/35 against Zimbabwe and 1/40 against the West Indies before enduring a tough outing in the semi-final against England.
In that match, he conceded 64 runs in his four overs, with Jacob Bethell launching a brutal onslaught that included 42 runs off just 13 balls against the mystery spinner.
From the start of the Super Eight phase, Varun struggled to contain the opposition batting and maintained an economy rate of 11.62. His place in the playing eleven therefore came under scrutiny. Ahead of the semi-final, bowling coach Morne Morkel had backed him to regain form, but Gavaskar believes India may need to act decisively ahead of the title race.
“Another change I would consider is to bring in Kuldeep Yadav. Varun Chakravarthy’s confidence seems shaken at the moment. He has struggled and conceded a lot of runs since the Super Eight stage when he faced stronger teams. In a pitch like Narendra Modi Stadium with big boundaries, Kuldeep Yadav could be a good option as he can turn the ball even on a flat surface.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
07 March 2026 21:50 IST
