Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has urged head coach Gautam Gambhir to make tough selection calls for the T20 World Cup 2026 Final. Citing poor form, Gavaskar suggests dropping opener Abhishek Sharma and spinner Varun Chakravarthy. He recommends bringing in Ishan Kishan, Rinku Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav for the title clash against New Zealand.
Former Indian batting legend turned commentator, Sunil Gavaskar, wants head coach Gautam Gambhir to take a tough call regarding Abhishek Sharma’s place in the playing XI for the T20 World Cup 2026 Final against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 8.
Abhishek Sharma has not been able to live up to the expectations ahead of the marquee event, as the southpaw has struggled to regain his rhythm. The left-handed opener, who is known for his explosive batting and dominating the powerplay, had a disastrous start to his maiden T20 World Cup, registering three consecutive ducks in the group stage before moderate outings in the Super 8 stage against South Africa and the West Indies, scoring 10 and 15.
Abhishek’s best performance came in a Super 8 match against Zimbabwe, where he scored 55 off 30 balls. In the semifinal against England, Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for just nine runs, continuing his struggle in the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup 2026.
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‘He Hasn’t Learned from His Dismissals’
Ahead of India’s T20 World Cup title clash with New Zealand, Sunil Gavaskar has urged the team management to drop Abhishek Sharma from the playing XI.
Speaking on India Today, Gavaskar stated that the left-handed opener has repeatedly been dismissed in a similar manner in the tournament and has not shown signs of learning from those mistakes.
“It's a very tough call. Abhishek Sharma is the No. 1 batter in the ICC T20 rankings, but he hasn't learned from his dismissals. He keeps getting out in the same region where his arms are cramped for room,” the 125-Test veteran said.
“Bowlers are targeting that area and forcing mistakes. My concern is that he either hasn't adjusted yet or is unable to change his approach," he added.
In the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, Abhishek Sharma has aggregated just 89 runs, including a fifty, at an average of 12.71 and 130.88 in seven matches. This highlights the opener’s inconsistency at the top of the order and his inability to provide strong starts for Team India in the tournament.
Gavaskar Wants India to Bring in Rinku Singh and Kuldeep Yadav
Apart from suggesting dropping Abhishek Sharma from the playing XI, Sunil Gavaskar wants the Team India management to promote Ishan Kishan as an opener and bring in Rinku Singh into the team. The former India captain suggested replacing Varun Chakravarthy with Kuldeep Singh, given the former’s dip in form during the Super 8 stage of the tournament.
“I would like to see Ishan Kishan open the batting with Sanju Samson, with Rinku Singh coming into the side. Rinku has that belief, you've probably seen the 'God's Plan' tattoo on his body, and sometimes things just work out for players like him," Gavaskar said.
“The other change I would consider is bringing in Kuldeep Yadav. Varun Chakravarthy's confidence looks shattered at the moment. Since the Super Eight stage, when he faced stronger teams, he has struggled and conceded a lot of runs.
“At a ground like the Narendra Modi Stadium, with big boundaries, Kuldeep Yadav could be a good option because he can turn the ball even on flat surfaces," he added.
Varun Chakravarthy is the leading wicket-taker for Team India with 13 wickets, but he conceded 248 runs in 28 overs, which translates to an economy rate of 8.85 in the T20 World Cup 2026. In the semifinal against England, the mystery spinner leaked 64 runs in his quota of four overs, the most expensive spell by an Indian bowler in a T20 World Cup match.
It remains to be seen whether Gautam Gambhir and the team management make changes to the XI for the final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad.
