Former batsman Aakash Chopra has backed Abhishek Sharma to retain his place in India’s playing XI for the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 match against South Africa. Chopra said X-factor players deserve patience, noting that Abhishek has bounced back from failures before, including two zeroes against New Zealand.
Abhishek was out for zero on three balls against Netherlands. Notably, this was their third consecutive defeat in the marquee tournament. He has faced only eight balls in three matches and India will hope he carries his form into the Super 8s. In 2026, he has played eight T20Is and has been out for a duck five times.
Abhishek Sharma is an X-factor – Aakash Chopra
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said that Sanju Samson should not replace Abhishek Sharma. He said that players have to go through bad times and they should not be dropped after a few low scores. Chopra described Abhishek as the X-factor and a key player.
Chopra said, “No, don’t do that. You go through bad phases. A man gets out once or twice. He (Abhishek) got out twice in the New Zealand series also for zero, but after that he scored runs and you don’t start getting people out just like that.”
“Abhishek Sharma is an
It is not that Sanju Samson is coming with such rocket form – Aakash Chopra
Chopra also said that Sanju Samson is not in great form, due to which changes will have to be made in the playing eleven. He said that there is no clear confidence that Samson will be able to dominate the South African bowlers.
Chopra said, “It is not that Sanju Samson is coming with such rocket form, seeing which you will say that a huge injustice is being done, or you will believe that if he plays, he will kill Marco Johnson in Sabarmati. He is not coming with so many runs.”
Sanju Samson played only one match in the T20 World Cup 2026. He scored 22 runs from eight balls in India’s 93-run win against Namibia. However, his form was a matter of concern ahead of the tournament, as he managed only 46 runs at an average of 9.20 in five innings in the T20I series against New Zealand.
I think Abhishek Sharma has to move forward – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra said that India should continue supporting Abhishek Sharma. He also admitted that Abhishek and other Indian batsmen have struggled against off-spin and said that this should not lead to hasty changes in the batting lineup.
He said in the same video, “I am not going to pay any attention to that idea. I am not thinking about it. I think Abhishek Sharma has to continue, and he has to score runs as well, although it is true that we are struggling against off-spin. We have lost wickets there, whether it is against Saeem Ayub, Salman Ali Aga or Aryan Dutt.”
However, analyst Aakash Chopra said that India should not play cautiously against Aiden Markram. He said that Suryakumar Yadav and the rest of the batting group need to remain aggressive. Chopra also advised Abhishek Sharma to first rotate the strike and then aim for the straight boundary.
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