Gautam Gambhir shared how he helped Abhishek Sharma deal with his bad phase during the T20 World Cup 2026. The left-handed batsman had a nightmare in the group stage of the tournament, registering three consecutive ducks. When cricket fans started doubting Sharma, who was once known for toying with the opposition bowlers, the team management under head coach Gautam Gambhir supported him through the bad times.
The team’s head coach revealed how he helped Sharma recover and boost his morale. Gambhir said that the batsman was not out of form, but was run out. The former cricketer shared his experience to inspire Abhishek.
Gautam Gambhir reveals how he helped Abhishek Sharma mentally during tough times
Gambhir remembered the IPL 2014 season when he scored a hat-trick on a duck. From there he made a strong comeback relying on his natural game. The former opener asked Abhishek Sharma to do the same, and he asked him to never lose faith in his instincts. Despite the horror show, he finished the IPL 2014 season with 335 runs in 16 matches.
By nature, the budding opening batsman is an aggressive batsman, who likes to smash the bowlers all over the ground. The coach urged him to do what he does best – bat with aggression, even from the first ball of the match.
Gautam Gambhir denies saying Abhishek is out of form; For him, the batsman was out of runs. According to the veteran, since in most matches the batsman was out early before facing 20 to 30 balls, he did not consider him an out-of-form batsman.
Gautam Gambhir talks about his poor form in IPL 2014
“I had a worse experience than him in 2014 during the IPL, when I was out on ducks three times in a row and then was out on ducks in the fourth game as well. All I told him was that people will look at your scores and talk about your form, but in reality, you are not out of form; you are just run out. You can change your form only if you have played 20 to 30 balls in between, and he has not even faced 20 balls yet. Have not done”, said Gautam Gambhir. Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Follow the Blues’.
The coach wanted to see Abhishek Sharma attacking the bowler from the very first ball of the next match. He told the young batsman that it did not matter what people said outside the field, his duty was to think only about the team during the entire journey. Gambhir motivated the opening batsman to perform well for the team members. In the final match of the T20 World Cup 2026, Sharma scored a half-century against New Zealand in the winning effort.
Head coach asked Abhishek Sharma to think only about the team
Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir said, “I just wanted him to go into the next game and be even more aggressive than the last game. If you want to hit the first ball out of the ground, go and do that, and commit yourself 100 percent to it because it doesn’t really matter what the world thinks about you.”
He said, “What is important is what 30 people in the dressing room think about you and that should matter to all the boys. There was no doubt about Abhishek at all. To be honest with anyone, in that dressing room, we always had confidence in all the guys who have been selected to represent the country in the T20 World Cup.”
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