As T20 World Cup 2026 reaches the knockout stage, India’s team management faces a high-stakes selection dilemma ahead of the semi-final against England at the Wankhede Stadium. While the calls to drop out-of-form opener Abhishek Sharma have reached a crescendo, former head coach Ravi Shastri has thrown a different perspective, urging the think-tank to hold their nerve.
Abhishek Sharma has performed well at the Wankhede Stadium in the past
Abhishek’s tournament statistics are undeniably grim- 80 runs in six innings at a meagre average of 13.33. His campaign began with a nightmare, three consecutive ducks, a bout of food poisoning. Yet, Shastri’s refusal to let go of Abhishek is not based on sentiment, it is based on Wankhede’s psychological velocity.
“I would still persist with him because last time India played England, he had a terrific series against them. I won’t take that away at the Wankhede,” Shastri noted on The ICC Review. He is referring to Abhishek’s blistering 54-ball 135 at this very venue last year, an innings that remains the highest T20I score by an Indian.
Ravi Shastri’s only condition of dropping Abhishek Sharma
However, Shastri’s backing comes with a clinical caveat. He argues that the decision should hinge on a the mental state of the cricketer rather than past scorecards.
“Unless the team management realises that, mentally he’s not there… it’s for them to judge from the outside, in conversations with him, just seeing the way he is batting in the nets.”
For Shastri, the nets today are more important than the matches yesterday. If Abhishek’s body language suggests his “mindset has taken a beating,” only then does Shastri suggest the “nuclear option”: promoting Ishan Kishan to open and drafting Rinku Singh into the lower order to fix the finishing firepower.
The Gambhir factor
The perspective from former head coach Ravi Shastri aligns with the tactical framework established by current head coach Gautam Gambhir, who has frequently emphasised prioritising ‘impact’ and match-winning cameos over traditional accumulation.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has also weighed in, advising the 25-year-old to ‘starve himself’ of excessive net practice to mentally reset.