New Delhi: Abhishek Sharma The T20 World Cup 2026 was not expected to start the way he had planned, dreamed and wished. The flamboyant opener, known for his quick batting and high strike-rate while pushing the bowlers all over the park, endured a nightmare tournament. Abhishek was dismissed for a wicket in India’s opening match against USA and then failed to score again in the next match against arch-rivals Pakistan.Go beyond limits with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!He was again given a chance by the team management in the third match against Holland, but it was the same story for Abhishek – a third duck in a row.
Desperation, lack of confidence and hunger to score goals were evident on Abhishek’s face. It was then that Capt Surya Kumar Yadav And the head coach Gautam Gambhir Stepped in to support the young man during his difficult times.Abhishek has now revealed the basic advice he got from Gambhir and Suriya during his darkest phase in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026.Speaking at the India Today Conclave, Abhishek admitted that after his second consecutive duck in the tournament, he was close to an emotional breakdown.“Slowly you get used to it. But it feels bad (when there is criticism). It’s going to happen in India because people expect a lot from you. After I made three ducks, Surya, GG sir and Hardik Pandya He came to me and said, ‘Phone pika, social media hitata abhi ke abhi [take your phone and uninstall social media right now]’,’ said Abhishek. “It was the first job I did after my second zero. It actually helped me a little bit. I was getting a lot of advice and comments from people. That’s the life of a cricketer. You have to listen and you get criticism. You can just listen and ignore. That’s because they expect a lot from you.After making three consecutive ducks, Abhishek finally bounced back with 15 runs against South Africa. He soon regained his rhythm, scoring 55 against Zimbabwe and looking close to his best with his fluency.However, he once again struggled against England, scoring only nine runs.All eyes were on him in the title clash. However, this time Abhishek had other plans. He smashed the New Zealand bowlers all over the park in the final, scoring 52 runs off just 21 balls and laying a solid foundation for India with a 98-run opening partnership with Sanju Samson.India posted a massive 255/5 in their allotted 20 overs to bowl out New Zealand for 159 to clinch the T20 World Cup 2026 title.It was India’s third T20 World Cup victory, having previously lifted the trophy in 2007 and 2024.
