"Score zero in 8 games...": Suryakumar Yadav reveals private message to Abhishek Sharma

The incredible title triumph of the India National Cricket Team in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 was the result of the bold decisions and powerful moments behind the scenes. Captain Suryakumar Yadav has now revealed how the team management kept Abhishek Sharma confident even when things were going terribly wrong for him during the tournament.

Abhishek Sharma entered the tournament as the world's top-ranked T20I batter, but he had endured a horrific campaign in the group and knockout stages before the final. The young opener managed only 141 runs at an average of around 18 and strike rate of 174.07 in the tournament.

Suryakumar Yadav reveals the message he gave Abhishek Sharma during the World Cup

However, Suryakumar Yadav gave Abhishek a strong message inside the dressing room despite his struggles, and that paid them off well in the biggest game in Ahmedabad.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

Read Also: Suryakumar Yadav reveals Axar Patel dressing room controversy: 'He was angry, I apologized'

The Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav made it clear that the team still trusted the Punjab lad completely and promised him he would play the final. This trust worked wonders for Abhishek, and he contributed significantly to India’s title triumph.

Suryakumar Yadav was quoted as saying by The Indian Express: “I told him, 'There are nine games in this World Cup; even if you fail in eight of them—score zero in all eight—I am taking the guarantee that you will face the first ball in the final.'”

Abhishek Sharma's performance in T20 World Cup 2026

Abhishek had a horrible start of his debut T20 World Cup, scoring three back-to-back ducks before scoring 15 runs in the Super 8 clash against South Africa. He missed the one game due to illness but struggled badly for most of the tournament.

The left-handed opener’s only notable performance before the final came against Zimbabwe when he scored 55 runs off 30 balls and then managed only 10 and 9 runs in the must-win game against the West Indies and the semifinal against England, respectively.

However, Abhishek delivered the performance of his life when it mattered the most in the T20 World Cup 2026 final against New Zealand. Under the biggest pressure of the tournament, the opener smashed a breathtaking half-century in just 18 balls, which became the fastest fifty ever recorded in a T20 World Cup final or knockout match.

Read Also: Shaheen Afridi pulls out of The Hundred auction at the last minute

He smashed a blazing 52 off 21 balls and helped India post over 250 runs on the board that the Men in Blue successfully defended and won the title for the record third time, and that too at home.

Suryakumar Yadav explains why Sanju Samson didn’t chase centuries in T20 World Cup 2026

Sanju Samson played a massive role in India’s title defense. Interestingly, the Indian wicketekeeper-batter did not even play the first four matches of the tournament, but when he returned, he transformed the team’s batting strength in the T20 World Cup 2026.

The Kerala star smashed 97 against the West Indies, followed by two powerful 89-run knocks against England in the semi-final and New Zealand in the final. His aggressive batting helped India post huge totals and dominate big matches.

Despite coming late into the tournament, Samson still ended as the third-highest run-scorer with 321 runs in just five innings at a strike rate of nearly 200. Interestingly, Suryakumar explained that Samson never slowed down to chase personal centuries because the team wanted to keep the scoring rate high and give the next batters enough balls to attack.

Suryakumar said, “He scored 97, 89, and 89 in the big games. If he wanted, he could have easily scored hundreds in all three; he was playing that fast, but if you take 10 balls to go from 89 to 100 when you could do it in three or four, you’re stealing six balls from the second batter. Dube scored 28 off six balls and 26 off eight. That was only possible because Sanju didn’t chase his hundred.”