India’s former T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav revealed how he backed out-of-form Abhishek Sharma in the 2026 T20 World Cup. Sharma had been performing consistently for India in the T20 format before the T20I showpiece and he was also the number one T20I batter.
The left-hander was taking on the opposition’s bowling in the Powerplay overs and he was putting India in a commanding position in the first six overs. But, the southpaw failed to get going in the T20 World Cup 2026 as he struggled against the off-spinners.
Despite his repeated failures to give India a good start, SKY and the team management kept backing him. Abhishek was finally able to repay the faith shown in him in the tournament’s final against New Zealand, scoring a blistering knock of 52 runs off just 21 balls.
Suryakumar Yadav said on Aakash Chopra’s YouTube Channel, “When I became the captain in 2024, the first time I saw him, I understood that this is a player who will win me the World Cup. Then, with how he played throughout the year, he was the No. 1 batter in T20Is and finished half the game in the powerplay itself. I wanted a player who could do those things. I was completely dazzled.”
“I told him that irrespective of anything, play in the same fashion till the World Cup because this is your identity. He started in the World Cup and could not score. I didn’t talk to him at all. The coach also didn’t say anything because he knew what this player can do if he batted for just six overs. Before the final, he was thinking, ‘Main karunga aap ke liye paaji (I will do it for you).’ I told him that there is no responsibility or pressure on you; just show me your game. There is no problem if you get out while trying to hit a six on the first ball.”
SKY said they were able to pull up their socks after suffering a 76-run loss against South Africa in the Super 8 stage.
“After the India-South Africa match in Ahmedabad, we realized that we were going to do something special. Sab log ka screw achanak se tight ho gaya (everyone suddenly got charged up). Everyone started seeing each other, thinking, now we will have to do something. There is a very thin line between it will happen, and you have to make it happen. Everyone pushes together in that,” he added in the same video.
India became the first team to successfully defend their T20 World Cup title.
