Former India batter Mohammad Kaif reckons Abhishek Sharma would have benefited greatly had senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma still been part of the T20I squad. The left-handed batter, 25, is yet to open his account in the T20 World Cup 2026, having been dismissed for ducks in all three games he played previously against the USA, Pakistan and the Netherlands. The No.1 batter in T20I rankings lost his wicket against Ali Khan against the US and then lost his wicket to off-spinners Salman Ali Agha and Aryan Dutt.
Abhishek has managed to last just eight balls in the middle, and the pressure is truly on him to change the tide around in the Super 8s match against South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Ahead of the crucial tie, Kaif said that Virat and Rohit would have provided tips to Abhishek if they were a part of the setup, and this would have helped the batter from Punjab to get out of the rut instantly.
“Looking at Abhishek’s current form, where he has scored three ducks, he is yet to open his mark. At this time, you feel the absence of players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. When Virat was in the team, he used to talk to Shubman Gill about batting. We have seen the visuals of younger players speaking to Rohit and Virat,” said Kaif on his YouTube channel.
“When such players are there in the team, junior players benefit a lot. Looking at Abhishek’s mental state, he would have benefited from having players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma there. Virat would himself tell you about the foot movement and the importance of rotating the strike. It’s easier to say that remove these two; we have found the replacement, but you haven’t,” he added.
‘Senior players’
Kaif also said that it is such times that you realise the importance of having senior players around. He stated that the juniors always looked up to Rohit and Virat, and the duo were always there to share their experience and learnings.
“I am telling you, the current phase of Abhishek, he would have benefited from the guidance of Virat and Rohit. Senior players in these situations are very helpful,” said Kaif.
Speaking of Rohit and Virat, the duo retired from T20Is after the 2024 World Cup win. The duo have also called time on their Test careers, and they are just one-format players now – ODIs, and have their eyes firmly set on the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Coming back to Abhishek, India captain Suryakumar Yadav exuded confidence in the young batter’s capability, saying he will surely come good in the Super 8s games against South Africa, Zimbabwe and the West Indies.
Kaif also said that he is fully confident that both Suryakumar and head coach Gautam Gambhir would have spoken to Abhishek about how to use the feet against the spinners inside the powerplay.
“Abhishek needs to fine-tune. You cannot play at your own pace; you need to show some patience,” said Kaif.
