As India prepares to take on the New Zealand national cricket team in the T20 World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, former captain Sunil Gavaskar has suggested a bold change to the playing XI. The 1983 World Cup winner believes India should consider dropping Abhishek Sharma after a long opening batting struggle in the ongoing tournament.Abhishek endured a tough campaign in the tenth edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The left-hander has so far managed just 89 runs at an average of 12.71. His figures would have looked worse if not for his half-century against the Zimbabwe national cricket team during the Super 8 stage. Worryingly for India, Abhishek was dismissed for a duck three times and stopped bowling four times in the tournament.Also See: IND vs NZ Live Score T20 World Cup Final 2026
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Gavaskar pointed out that the bigger problem is not just the lack of runs, but the repetitive nature of the dismissals. According to him, the bowlers were consistently targeting a specific area and the batsman was trying to adapt his approach.
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“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 tied for a place,” Gavaskar told India Today.“The bowlers are focusing on that area and forcing errors. I’m afraid he either hasn’t adapted yet or is not able to change his approach,” he added.Abhishek’s struggles were again evident in the semi-final against the English cricket team. Attempting an early attack, he fell into a trap set by spinner Will Jacks and was dismissed in the very second over after scoring nine runs.As an alternative, Gavaskar suggested bringing Rinku Singh into the side while reshuffled the top order. In his proposed combination, Ishan Kishan would partner Sanju Samson at the top of the order for the final.“I would like to see Ishan Kishan opening the batting with Sanju Samson, with Rinku Singh coming in the side. Rinku believes that, you’ve probably seen the ‘God’s Plan’ tattoo on his body and sometimes things just work out for players like him,” Gavaskar said.The legendary batsman also hinted at another possible change in the bowling department. Varun Chakravarthy has struggled for rhythm since the start of the Super 8 stage and endured a particularly tough game against England, conceding more than 60 runs in his four overs during the semi-final.Gavaskar believes India could consider bringing in Kuldeep Yadav instead, especially given the conditions in Ahmedabad.“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.
