Ravi Shastri, former India head coach, has thrown his support behind star opener Abhishek Sharma ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup. The cricketer-turned-commentator believes Abhishek will be critical for the Men in Blue’s championship defence at the forthcoming ICC event next month.
Shastri also congratulated Abhishek for going one better in Nagpur in the T20I opener match against New Zealand with a decisive 84 not out off 35 balls at a strike rate of 240, which included eight sixes and five fours. The latter’s batting heroics helped India win the first game by 48 runs and take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
During an event between ICC and Marriott Bonvoy, the former cricketer was quoted as saying (via News 18):
“Abhishek, without a shadow of a doubt. (He’s the) No. 1 T20 batsman in the world (and is) in a rich vein of form. Last evening (on Wednesday), he took the game away from New Zealand.
“You’ve got to watch out for him because his confidence level is high. He’ll be backed by the home crowd, and if he takes off, it means India take off.”
The 63-year-old also recalled Abhishek Sharma’s 150 off 54 balls against England 12 months ago. In the same conversation, he stated that it was one of the best T20 innings.
“Remember when Abhishek got that 150 (135 off 54 balls; 7 fours, 13 sixes) against England at the Wankhede (Stadium) last year… We interviewed him after the game. I just put my hand on his shoulder, and I said, ‘Young man, that is the best T20 innings I’ve ever seen in international cricket.’ That kid is a proper star. When you know he’s batting, you turn the TV on.”
Why Abhishek Sharma is key to India’s success at the 2026 T20 World Cup
Abhishek Sharma has been an instrumental batsman for the Men in Blue going into the T20 World Cup 2026. The No.1 T20I batsman in the world has been consistent with the bat in the past 12 months. The 25-year-old entered the record books scoring 859 runs in 21 innings at a strike rate of 193.46 with the help of a century and five half-centuries.
The Punjab batsman has till date played 34 T20Is in which he scored 1199 runs at a strike rate of 190.92 with the help of two centuries and seven fifties. He is the fastest player to 5,000 runs in T20s in terms of balls faced.
Abhishek Sharma will feature in India’s second T20I against New Zealand on Friday, January 23, at Raipur.
