New Delhi: Team India captain Suryakumar Yadav came out in defence of opener Abhishek Sharma amid his woeful run with the bat in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. Abhishek is yet to get off the mark in the tournament, having been dismissed on a duck in all three matches that he has played so far.
The explosive left-hander, known for his swashbuckling batting, entered the tournament in great form; however, he failed to fire in the group stage. With India gearing up to begin their Super Eight campaign against South Africa, Suryakumar threw his weight behind the underfire opening batter.
The Indian skipper backed the left-hander to come good and play a key role for India as the defending champions enter a crucial stage in the tournament. Suryakumar downplayed concerns regarding his batting and said he is more worried about the opposition teams that will have to face Abhishek.
“Those who worry about Abhishek Sharma’s form, I worry about them: ‘Why do you worry so much about his form?’. I am worrying about the teams that will face him now, because he hasn’t scored yet,” Suryakumar said in the pre-match press conference ahead of India’s meeting with South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, February 22.
“The rest of the answer, you know, you know what happens when he goes big. It happens, it’s a team sport. It’s the team’s requirement that he plays according to his identity. He is trying to do that. If it clicks, great. If it doesn’t, we are there to cover for him. Last year, he covered for us. This time, let us do it,” he added.
Suryakumar’s comments come a day after India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel rubbished concerns about Abhishek Sharma’s batting in a pre-match presser on Friday. Morkel revealed there has been no discussion in the Indian dressing room about Abhishek’s poor run.
The left-hander looks set to retain his position in the playing XI as an opener despite his lean patch. However, the pressure will be immense on the left-hander to bounce back among the runs after failing to deliver in the three matches that he has played in the tournament so far.