Virender Sehwag tells Gautam Gambhir to drop Abhishek Sharma vs Zimbabwe

Former India opener Virender Sehwag makes a strong remark about Abhishek Sharma, the opener of the current Team India, who has been struggling to make runs since the beginning of the T20 World Cup 2026. Ahead of India's must-win match against Zimbabwe on February 26, Sehwag suggests that the Indian team management rest Sharma.

Abhishek Sharma is one of the well-reputed batters in the T20 World Cup 2026, who is preparing hard to let the bad patch go. He might have been doing well in the net sessions, but the ground reality is different. Should India carry on with the off-colour opener? The question remains.

Team India kept trusting in Abhishek Sharma

Today, the Indian National Cricket Team will be up against Zimbabwe in a must-win match, after enduring a 76-run defeat against South Africa in Ahmedabad on February 22. Sharma went to face South Africa after securing a hat-trick of ducks. Against the United States, arch-rival Pakistan, and Netharlands, the Punjab-born dismissed without scoring a single run.

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Despite the continuous poor form, Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav-led team did not want to leave the explosive opener on the bench, providing him with chances after chances in the tournament.

I would have tried Sanju Samson instead: Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag opined that the team should now send Sharma to take a rest for the Chennai match, as they have Sanju Samson as the backup option.

"If I were there, I would have given Abhishek Sharma a break and tried Sanju Samson instead. This is the only match where you can try, because if India loses this game, then they are out," Sehwag said while speaking on Cricbuzz.

Citing the importance of the match, the ex-cricketer urges the team management to name their best playing combination against Zimbabwe. As Abhishek Sharma is completely out of shape, the veteran suggests giving him a break.

"Since this is such an important match, India have to pick their best playing XI based on form," Sehwag added.

Team India batting coach hopes to see vintage Abhishek Sharma soon

Will India bench Sharma in the highly important match? Ahead of the match, the batting coach of the team, Sitanshu Kotak, explained why they should support the batter. Kotak stated that Sharma looked promising in the last game against South Africa, where he made 15 runs. He hopes to see the emerging opener back in action very soon.

"Abhishek looked good in the last game; overthinking about one individual does not make sense. It puts too much pressure on them... Once he starts hitting the ball again, you will see the same Abhishek again", Sitanshu Kotak said ahead of the India vs Zimbabwe match.

"There is no doubt. Now, in this game, nobody can give a guarantee that he will do it in the next match. But I think he is not far", he further told the media.

Read More: Faf du Plessis issues stern warning to Abhishek Sharma amid T20 World Cup 2026 horror