India has qualified for the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. They will face England at the Wankhede Stadium on March 5, 2026. However, during the semi-final qualifying match, the form of one of the Indian batsmen was strained. Abhishek Sharma. The flamboyant opener is yet to find his best form in the game.

Abhishek Sharma just scored 50 runs in a big tournament. His aggressive approach has failed him as he has scored three runs in a row and has struggled to get runs. The top-ranked T20I batsman has been under pressure after his poor performance in the T20 World Cup.

Abhishek Sharma gets support from former India head coach

Ahead of the all-important semi-final against England, two former cricketers Ravi Shastri and Ricky Pontingthey supported Abhishek Sharma despite his slight stature as the two former cricketers believed that Abhishek always excelled when it mattered most.

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Speaking to ICC host Sanjana Gansan on ICC Review, the former India head coach said that any decision regarding his place in the starting XI will be taken by the team management based on the mentality of the batsmen.

Ravi Shastri said: “Unless the team management realizes it, mentally he is not there. If mentally, his mentality has taken a hit, then they can judge from outside, talking to him, just seeing the way he bats the ball in the nets.”

I will be with him – Ricky Ponting

Former Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting predicted that Abhishek will be the top run-scorer of the tournament and he also predicted that the left-hander will be the best player of the tournament. However, things did not turn out as predicted by the former, although Ponting agreed with Ravi Shastri that the team management would stick to his stance in the next game as well.

“He obviously didn’t make the runs that any of us expected,” Ponting said. “About a month ago, I thought he was the run-scorer and maybe even the best player in the tournament. That hasn’t happened yet, but I agree with Ravi. I’ll stick with him.”

Abhishek Sharma has just scored 80 runs in six games at an average of 13.33, a high of 55 and a strike rate of 131.14. The entire statistic outlines the struggles the No. 1 batsman has endured in this tournament. However, he also has the support of the team management and head coach.

Ravi Shastri drops comments on changing batting order as he wants to be in good form Ishan Kishanwho himself performed well in the tournament, scoring 224 runs in seven games, started the tournament to prevent Abhishek from being eliminated.

Shastri said: “If that’s the case, then only then would I consider putting Ishan Kishan in the order and then maybe Rinku Singh at the end. That might be the only change but I would still stick with him because he performed well last time India played against England. series against them. “

Abhishek Sharma loves playing against England

The last time India played at the Wankhede Stadium, Abhishek Sharma returned to the pavilion after scoring in the first ball against the United States. However, before that particular match, in another match at the Wankhede Stadium, he scored 135 off 54 balls at a strike rate of 250 against the opponents India had faced in the semi-finals.

Shastri said: “I won’t take away that from the Wankhede Stadium. He has performed well in the past. He had some big hundreds and very quick hundreds there. I will stick with him because there is enough firepower in the batting.”

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