Yuvraj Singh (left) and Abhishek Sharma.© X (formerly Twitter)
India’s star opener Abhishek Sharma was duly tested during the T20 World Cup 2026. He could score only 141 runs across eight innings. The batter entered the tournament riding on sensational form but was dismissed for three consecutive ducks at the start of the competition. Barring a half-century against Zimbabwe in his fifth game, the southpaw remained out of form until the final. In the summit clash, Abhishek played a knock to remember by smashing 52 off only 21 balls. His innings was laced with six fours and three sixes.
Abhishek failed to open his account in his first three innings as he tried to take on the opposition bowlers from the word go. He later showed a change in approach, and that reaped rewards in the following matches. The southpaw started his innings cautiously before going for his natural shots.
Abhishek revealed to Hindustan Times that he was in continuous contact with Yuvraj Singh, former India all-rounder and his mentor, during the tournament.
“I spoke to Yuvi paaji regularly. He’s always been someone I can go to for honest advice. His message was simple: ‘Don’t change who you are as a player.’ He told me that aggressive players will have phases like this, but if you keep backing your strengths, runs will come,” Abhishek said.
“It was mostly about trusting my natural game. I didn’t want to go away from the style that got me to this level. The only thing I tried to do was be a bit clearer in my shot selection early on. Once I got through that initial phase, I just played the way I normally do,” he added.
Despite a mediocre performance in the T20 World Cup 2026, Abhishek remains the number one T20I batter. As per the rankings on March 18, the southpaw is at the helm of affairs with a rating of 875 — four more than his India teammate Ishan Kishan, who is the second-ranked player on the list.
Abhishek will now feature in the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he will play for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The tournament kicks off on March 28.