Sunil Gavaskar was also surprised to see Team India's opening batsman Abishek Sharma play defensive shots during his knock. The "Men in Blue" will lock horns with the West Indies on March 1 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata
Abhishek Sharma, Sunil Gavaskar (Pic: X/@BCCI/File Pic)
In the Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup 2026 against Zimbabwe, Team India's swashbuckling opening batsman Abhishek Sharma scored 55 runs in 30 deliveries, laced with four boundaries and the same number of maximums.
This was his first half-century in the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup.
Following his knock, the legendary Team India batsman Sunil Gavaskar said that the left-handed batsman has silenced his doubters by delivering such a knock.
"We know how good Abhishek Sharma is as a batter. He silenced his doubters with this knock of 55 runs against Zimbabwe," he said.
The former cricketer was also surprised to see the explosive opening batsman play defensive shots during his knock.
"He took that extra time to start his innings. There was a method to his batting. He respected the off spinner, didn't take any kind of risks and played in a calm and a composed manner. In this game, he actually played a defensive shot. He defended the ball. I was surprised to see that because we don't usually see Abhishek do that," said Gavaskar.
In the initial matches of the global showpiece, Abhishek had registered three ducks. Gavaskar feels that the tournament is a learning lesson for the left-handed batsman.
"I really think this is a learning curve for him. Every cricketer goes through a rough patch of not scoring runs in back-to-back games. It is about how much you learn from it. I feel Abhishek has learned a lot and this will augur well for him going forward, in the next couple of games and the all-important clash against West Indies in Kolkata," said the 76-year-old former cricketer.
The "Men in Blue" will lock horns with the West Indies on March 1 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
T20 World Cup 2026, Super 8: Full Squads
India: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Sanju Samson (WK), Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishan Kishan (WK), Rinku Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Abhishek Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Tilak Varma.
West Indies: Jason Holder, Johnson Charles (WK), Akeal Hosein, Roston Chase, Shai Hope (C) (WK), Gudakesh Motie, Brandon King, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Matthew Forde, Quentin Sampson, Shamar Joseph.
(With PTI Inputs)
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