Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: India’s star opener Abhishek Sharma found himself at the centre of heavy criticism during the T20 World Cup 2026. The left-hander endured a disastrous start to the tournament, failing to open his account in the first three matches as he registered three consecutive ducks.In the lead-up to the final, Abhishek managed just 89 runs in seven matches, including those three ducks in the group stage. He briefly returned among the runs but scored only 15 against South Africa in the fourth match. He then rediscovered his touch with a quickfire 55 against Zimbabwe in the fifth game. However, his form dipped again as he could only manage 10 against West Indies and nine in the semifinal against England.
Despite the inconsistent run, the team management continued to back him, with coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav showing full faith in the young opener.In the final, Abhishek turned the heat on the New Zealand bowlers, smashing an 18-ball fifty as India piled up a massive 255/5. India then restricted New Zealand to 159 to successfully defend their T20 World Cup title.Former Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin was full of praise for Abhishek, playfully calling him a “rascal”.“I’m a huge fan of Abhishek, and there was a lot of talk about his position throughout the tournament. Got a few ducks in a row in the pool games, and all of a sudden, you think he is under pressure, but there are the guys you want in the big moments, because they are rascals and they walk into the fire. That is what Abhishek does, he puts pressure on the opposition, and the way that he went out in that final set up the game,” the former wicketkeeper said on the Willow Talk Cricket Podcast.Haddin also praised New Zealand for reaching yet another final but pointed out their repeated struggles at the last hurdle.“New Zealand have done a good job again to get to a final. I thought New Zealand were really red hot for the final. The way Finn Allen and Tim Seifert were batting. I thought they were in one of those tournament modes where everything is going their way. But the last hurdle [they failed to cross]. The classier team won, didn’t it?” he added.Abhishek finished the tournament with 141 runs at a strike rate of 158.42.
