As Team India prepares for a must-win clash against the Zimbabwe national cricket team in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, former Indian opener Virender Sehwag has weighed in with a bold selection suggestion. The legendary batter believes India should consider giving struggling opener Abhishek Sharma a break and bring in Sanju Samson for the high-pressure encounter in Chennai.
Abhishek’s World Cup campaign has been far from ideal. The young left-hander has battled both illness and poor form, resulting in a difficult start to the tournament. He registered three consecutive ducks during the group stage before finally getting off the mark with a brief 15-run knock off 12 balls in India’s heavy 76-run defeat to the South Africa national cricket team.
Despite the rough patch, the India national cricket team management has continued to back the youngster, hoping he can rediscover the explosive form that made him one of the most exciting T20 batters over the past year. However, Sehwag believes the stakes are too high to ignore current form.
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“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 lose this game, then they are out,” Virender Sehwag said while speaking on Cricbuzz. “Since this is such an important match, India have to pick their best playing XI based on form,” he added.
India’s situation in the Super 8 stage has become complicated not only by points but also by net run rate. Following the crushing defeat to South Africa, India’s net run rate dropped dramatically to -3.8. The equation could become even more difficult if the West Indies cricket team manage to defeat South Africa, increasing the pressure on captain Suryakumar Yadav and his squad.
Meanwhile, India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak offered a more measured view on Abhishek’s struggles, emphasizing the importance of maintaining confidence.
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“Abhishek’s health was a little bad and after that, there was not that much momentum. But in the last game (vs SA), he looked good and overthinking about one individual, personally, I never liked that,” Sitanshu Kotak said at the pre-match press conference. “Our job is to keep him in a good frame of mind. Once he starts hitting the ball again, you will see the same Abhishek again. Now, in T20s, nobody can give a guarantee that he will do it in the next match,” he added.
