Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh wants India to persist with under-fire Abhishek Sharma for the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand. Sharma was dismissed for nine runs off seven balls against England in the semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Thursday.

The left-hander has managed only 89 runs in seven matches of the tournament as he has failed to deliver the goods for the hosts. Sharma is the number one T20I batter in the rankings but he hasn’t been able to live up to the huge expectations.

The southpaw was once again dismissed by an off-spinner, Will Jacks, as he was caught at mid-wicket.

“I don’t think he will be benched by the team, and even I don’t think he should sit out either. Because this is the time to back a player. Yes, we accept that he has not done much so far, and he has not met the expectations. But how is he going to come out of the shell now? He can only do that when he plays. If you bench him, his heart will sink,” Harbhajan Singh said on his YouTube channel.

The Turbanator said it is time that Sharma’s teammates back him to the hilt as he is going through a rough patch.

“Even now there is scope of inprovement. There is still a lot of expectation from Abhishek Sharma, and I hope they play him in the final. Given that you have made no changes in the last few matches, they can continue the same way, and back him. This is the time for his teammates to back him,” Harbhajan said.

India will take on New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Sunday.