India vs New Zealand T20 World Cup 2026: Abhishek Sharma to be DROPPED for final, Sanju Samson gives BIG update
World No 1 T20I batter Abhishek Sharma has only scored 89 runs in 7 matches in T20 World Cup 2026 campaign for India so far.
Abhishek Sharma has only scored 89 runs in 7 games in T20 World Cup 2026. (Photo: IANS)
India vs New Zealand T20 World Cup 2026 Final: Defending champions Team India are getting ready to play in their fourth T20 World Cup final as they get ready to face New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. In a high-scoring contest, the Indians edged past England by 7 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.
While close to 500 runs were scored in the 40 overs of the semifinal match, one Indian batter who continued to fail was opener Abhishek Sharma. The world No. 1 T20I batter has only managed to score 89 runs in 7 games and 55 of those runs came in one innings against Zimbabwe in a Super 8 match.
Before the T20 World Cup 2026 started, Abhishek was the undisputed No. 1 choice as opener and Ishan Kishan had overtaken Sanju Samson as his No. 2. But in the last few weeks, while Kishan has moved forward and is the leading run-scorer for India in the tournament with 263 runs in 8 games, Samson has come out of nowhere to rise rapidly in the charts with 232 runs in 4 games with successive scores of 97 not out and 89 in two must-win games for India.
With Samson on the rise, the question mark over Abhishek Sharma's form is getting larger. There are now serious concerns if Team India would like to go into the title clash against New Zealand with a woefully out of form batter the top.
However, Samson like captain Suryakumar Yadav before him, threw his weight behind Abhishek Sharma in his time of need. "We are taking care of all our players. We have a really great environment in the dressing room. Both of our leaders, GG (Gautam Gambhir) and Surya, have a lot of faith and confidence in Abhishek. We try to help him in the way he actually requires," Samson said in the post-match press conference in Mumbai on Thursday.
"I think he has definitely gone through lots of ups and downs in his career. So he's also trying to find a way out and we all are with him. And I think it's just a matter of a couple of hits, six hits in the middle and everything can change in this format. I think we still believe in him and we feel that I think finally is going to be his day I think kind of feel that he's definitely going to come really great on the last day," Samson added about Abhishek.
Even Team India bowling coach Morne Morkel feels the learning experience for Abhishek Sharma will help him in the longer run. "I think just sometimes this game can be hard on you, cruel on you. Similar situation that Sanju found himself in, that in your career you're going to find moments like this. This is good growth for him, it's good learning for him," Morkel said in Mumbai.
"For a young guy finding his feet in international cricket, this will only help him down the line and for Indian cricket. But coming back to his form, Abhishek, his way of playing is one or two shots that can find him that rhythm, that can give him that confidence back. And that for me is a pleasing sign. He's not a guy that worries too much about technique. Normally those sort of players take a lot more time to get into confidence," Morkel added.
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