It wasn’t easy for me: Abhishek Sharma opens up on dealing with failure during T20 World Cup 2026

Following India’s T20 World Cup triumph on Sunday, opener Abhishek Sharma, who scored a brisk fifty in the summit clash, admitted that he endured a difficult period earlier in the tournament.

Abhishek was dismissed for three consecutive ducks in his first three matches in the competition, and also missed India’s second game, against Namibia, due to illness.

However, the team management persisted with the left-hander, who scored 55 against Zimbabwe and followed it up with a crucial 52-run knock in the final against New Zealand.

“The captain and coach had faith in me. Even I was doubting myself. I had never experienced this before; it was a tough tournament. I was just doing my process, trying to take it one game after another, but it wasn’t easy,” Abhishek said after India’s crushing 96-run win at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Abhishek came into the tournament carrying a lot of expectations and the label of being the top-ranked T20I batter in the world. Naturally, it wasn’t easy for the 25-year-old to deal with the disappointment so early in his maiden World Cup campaign.

“It wasn’t easy for me, because going through the whole year, I was doing well for the team, but in the big tournament, I wasn’t able to. But the faith the team and management showed in me… I got emotional in the middle of the tournament and wanted to talk to the coach and captain, and they said, ‘You’ll win us the big games.’ The crowd has supported us a lot even through tough times,” Abhishek added.

Published on Mar 08, 2026