Sanju Samson Or Abhishek Sharma? Suryakumar Yadav Opens Up Before IND vs SA Super 8 In T20 World Cup 2026

Having scored a hat-trick of ducks in three matches he has played, Abhishek Sharma has found himself at the receiving end of criticism and trolling. The star opener, who is known for his power-hitting, has been struggling to open his account, having registered ducks in all three outings in the ongoing T20 World Cup. 

As the Indian cricket team will start their Super 8 campaign in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 with a match against South Africa on 22nd February, there have been questions regarding Abhishek’s form. There are many who are even questioning his place in the squad.

Suryakumar Yadav Supports Abhishek Sharma Ahead Of IND vs SA Super 8 Clash

However, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav has strongly backed Abhishek Sharma and has given a perfect reply to his critics. Speaking on the eve of IND vs SA, T20 World Cup, Super 8 clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the Indian captain backed Abhishek and expressed his faith in him to play a key role for the team.

“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.

“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.”

Suryakumar also explained the team’s batting approach: “We don’t have to be a team that keeps hitting and hitting. Sometimes, we can lose two or three wickets quickly. So we have to be smart and bat well between overs seven to 15. And then we have enough firepower to score around 60, 70 runs in the last five overs.”

Suryakumar Yadav’s strong support for the young opener came a day after bowling coach Morne Morkel said the team management is not even talking about Abhishek Sharma’s performances in the tournament.

“Absolutely no discussion in our team group about that. He is a world-class player. So far in the tournament, luckily, we’ve had other guys standing up with Abhishek not scoring the runs you would like. We are going through a very important phase of the World Cup now, and I’m pretty sure he’s going to deliver,” Morkel said on Friday.

Abhishek Sharma Expected To Perform In Super 8 Stage

Abhishek Sharma entered the ongoing tournament as India’s most explosive option at the top; however, he has failed to fire up. He has faced just eight deliveries so far. Despite being the No. 1 ICC-ranked T20I Batter, Abhishek has five ducks in his last seven T20I innings.

Abhishek Sharma was first dismissed by USA pacer Ali Khan in the tournament opener, a game he played despite not being fully fit. He then missed India’s match against Namibia in Delhi due to illness.

He returned for the much-anticipated India vs Pakistan clash in Colombo on 15 February, but his stay was short. He was dismissed in the very first over by part-time off-spinner Salman Ali Agha. In India’s final group-stage game against the Netherlands in Ahmedabad, Abhishek once again fell to an off-spinner, this time Aryan Dutt.

Despite Abhishek’s embarrassing performances, the Indian cricket team has managed to qualify for the Super 8 round by winning all four of their group-stage matches. As the Men in Blue are entering the intense stage in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, there will be a lot of expectations from Abhishek Sharma to stand out with his performance.

Sanju Samson To Replace Abhishek Sharma?

Suryakumar Yadav further mentioned that Abhishek Sharma was the backbone of India’s batting last year, smashing records with ease. In 21 T20Is in 2025, he scored 859 runs at an average of 42 and an incredible strike rate of 193.46.

“You want me to play him (Samson) in place of Abhishek? In place of Tilak? See, we want to score high also. We are preparing for it,” said Suryakumar Yadav when asked whether the team management was considering bringing Samson into the XI.

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