Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif believes under-fire Abhishek Sharma is missing veteran players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the dressing room amid the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. Abhishek bagged three ducks in the Group stages of the T20I showpiece and he would want to turn the tables in the Super 8 stage.
Before the T20 World Cup 2026, Abhishek scored 182 runs in five matches against New Zealand at a strike rate of almost 250. Kaif said talking to experienced players like Rohit and Virat would have made a lot of difference for Abhishek Sharma.
“When Abhishek is not playing well, like at the moment, you feel the absence of players like Virat and Rohit in the team. When Virat was playing, he would talk to the other batters, Rohit also. They have played a lot and seen a lot. It is always an advantage to juniors to have sch players. The mental stage that Abhishek is in right now, having someone like Virat and Rohit, would be advantageous to youngsters. Abhishek would have got a lot of guidance if they were there,” Mohammad Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
Kaif recalled that Virat Kohli could not replicate his IPL 2024 form in the previous edition of the World Cup as the pitches were challenging and thus Abhishek also must fine-tune his game.
“Virat had a strike rate of 150 in the IPL and tried to play the same way in the 2024 World Cup but it did not work for him. The pitches were different. In the final, he changed his game a lot late, but he did go back to being his old self, valuing his wicket. He also changed his game. So if a great batter can do that, the time has come for Abhishek to fine-tune as well. You cannot play at your own pace, as it has not worked out for you here.”
The former UP batter backed India to continue backing Abhishek Sharma ahead of Sanju Samson.
“I don’t think Sanju will play. You cannot leave Abhishek at this point. You want him to score and win games. It is like a new tournament in the Super 8. This is a new stage and a bigger tournament. He must forget what happened in the group stage. Surya told a good thing that they are with Abhishek. When the days are good, everyone comes to take credit. When the bad time comes, then it is the test of the captain,” he said.
India will take on South Africa in their opening game of the Super 8 stage at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Sunday.
