Cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar advised young opener Abhishek Sharma to focus on getting off the mark early in his innings after the batter failed to fire runs in the T20 World Cup 2026. Abhishek's recent form has come under the spotlight after he got out on ducks in his last three outings of the showpiece event.
Sunil Gavaskar on Abhishek Sharma
Gavaskar reckons that Abhishek might be feeling the weight of expectations in the ongoing T20 World Cup. He believes that if the southpaw managed to score runs against the USA in the tournament opener, then things might be different.
"Abhishek Sharma is a lovely guy, but expectations seem to be weighing on him. If he had started well against USA, it would have been different. Now, the pressure of being the big six-hitter and top batter is showing.
"With his shot range, he needs to spend time in the middle. He cannot try to hit a boundary or six on the first ball of his innings. If the big shots come, fine. But he shouldn't force himself to play the big shots across the line," Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
Abhishek who played a crucial role for India in their Asia Cup 2025 title triumph, was seen struggling against both pace and spin. He was dismissed by a fast bowler in India’s match against the USA, while disciplined off-spin bowling proved his undoing in encounters with Pakistan and the Netherlands, leaving the young opener searching for his first runs on the big stage.
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Sunil Gavaskar's advice to Abhishek Sharma
Gavaskar suggested to Abhishek that to spend an over or two settling in before playing his natural attacking game, saying that once the first run comes, everything else would begin to fall into place.
"Take a single and get off the mark. Even four dot balls don't matter. He can make up for them later. He needs to play smart at the start. Spend an over or two settling in, then play his natural game. First, just get off the mark. Every batter wants that first run. Once he gets it, everything will fall into place," he said.
India's group-stage performance in T20 World Cup 2026
Suryakumar Yadav, who already sealed their berth for the Super 8 of the tournament, has won all of their group stage games defeating USA, Namibia, Pakistan and Netherlands respectively. The defeding champions will now face last edition's finalists South Africa in their first Super 8 tie.