Veteran Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane said that India must be ready for a situation where star India opener Abhishek Sharma gets dismissed early in the 2026 T20 World Cup as well. His comments came after India’s 50-run defeat to New Zealand at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam as well.

He said on Cricbuzz after the match: “With Abhishek Sharma, it’s going to happen. He plays that high-risk game. When it does pay off, he’ll be a match-winner. Let’s think that he is going to get out on 0, probably first ball, this will happen in the World Cup. The Indian batting lineup is not dependent on Abhishek Sharma. Collectively, they are all really good.”

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“When you want Hardik in the game, his bowling becomes really crucial, especially when we bowl first. Then his confidence into the batting is completely different. He didn’t look like a normal Hardik today. The intent was there, but I’ve seen with many all-rounders that if they don’t bowl when they’re bowling first, when they go on to bat, they’re completely different players,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ajinkya Rahane added that India should bring back Axar Patel in the playing XI for the fifth T20I as well.

“I think they will go with eight batters. I would love to see Axar Patel, if he is fit, getting into the playing XI. Basically, the team which they played in the first game, go with that combination,” Ajinkya Rahane concluded.