India opener Abhishek Sharma has opened up about his biggest lessons from the 2026 FIFA World Cup T20 and how three key figures helped him overcome his terrible run of form. In an interview with Hindustan Times, Sharma revealed that Suryakumar Yadav, Gautam Gambhir and his mentor Yuvraj Singh stood by him during the tough phase.
Abhishek Sharma entered the T20 World Cup 2026 after scoring a lot of runs. He was the No. 1 batsman in the T20I format and was expected to do well in the tournament. However, things quickly went sideways as he was plagued by illness at the start of the campaign.
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The batsman sat out India’s group stage game against Namibia and registered three back-to-back ducks on his return. Abhishek admitted that the tournament really tested his mental strength.
“Playing the World Cup quickly teaches you the importance of mental strength and process,” Abhishek said in an interview.
“The biggest learning for me was to stay composed, not get too high after good innings and not get too low after failures,” he added.
THE MEN BEHIND ABHISHEK’S RECOVERY
The opening showed Indian coach and captain Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav standing by him and supporting his progress. Apart from the duo, Abhishek said he is also in constant touch with his mentor Yuvraj Singh, who has assured him that success and failure are part of life as a high-risk batsman and that he should not change his approach for a lean run.
“Surya bhai was amazing throughout. Even after the ducks, his message was very clear: ‘Play your natural game and don’t worry about the result.’ That kind of support from your captain makes a huge difference. When a leader shows that much confidence, it allows you to go out and express yourself without fear,” said Abhishek.
“I spoke to Yuvi paaji regularly. He was always someone I could go to for honest advice. His message was simple: ‘Don’t change who you are as a player.’ He told me that aggressive players will have phases like that, but if you keep pushing your powers, the runs will come,” he added.
Dough closed by saying he hopes to carry those lessons into his career. With several white ball tournaments to be held in the next two years, Abhishek could play a significant role for India.
“Experiences like this make you stronger as a player. When you go through highs and lows in such a big tournament, you learn a lot about yourself. Hopefully it will make me more resilient and mature in how I approach the game. My aim is to take these lessons forward and continue to grow as a cricketer,” he said.
The launch will next be seen in the Indian Premier League 2026 where Sunrisers Hyderabad will begin their campaign against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. If captain Pat Cummins does not start the season, Abhishek could be the captain.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
18 March 2026 14:51 IST
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