Legendary Sunil Gavaskar has showered praise on India’s opening duo of Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. Both left-handers are in terrific form and would look to carry their purple patch.
While Abhishek recently scored 182 runs in five matches against New Zealand, Kishan scored 215 runs in four games at an average of 53.75 and a blistering strike rate of 231.18.
Abhishek is currently the number one T20I batter in the ICC rankings whereas Kishan has made a fantastic comeback into the team. Kishan also smashed a whirlwind knock of 53 runs off just 20 balls in the warm-up match against South Africa.
Sunil Gavaskar said on Sports Tak YouTube Channel, “If Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma were to open, then both are left-handed opening batters. But in my opinion, if both left-handers start smashing six, then what would the opposition captain do? The way these two batters dominate the first six overs, they put their grip on the game.”
Gavaskar said Sanju Samson is unlucky to miss out as he doesn’t have form on his side.
“If Sanju Samson had good form, he would be the first-choice automatic pick. There is no doubt about his quality, but jab kabhi naseeb nahi hota (when it’s not in our destiny), form is not good, then it’s better to give opportunities to someone with destiny and form.”
The former Indian skipper highlighted that India has a potent middle order as all-rounders like Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, and Axar Patel can play crucial cameos.
“Tailor-made and made-to-measure team. What do you need? You need power hitters in the middle order. Someone who can score 25-30 runs in 10 balls. You have Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, and Axar Patel. Even Harshit can hit big sixes if included in the XI. It’s kind of a stepney. If you lose two quick wickets in four overs, then you have cushioning and balance. So, yeah, made-to-measure team.
Gavaskar warned India to be cautious in their approach if they lose early wickets.
“What happens is that when you have Axar Patel at No. 6 or 7, and Shivam Dube is ready to bat at No. 7, then the opening batters or No.3 sometimes think that there are enough batters [depth] and then they can do anything. If they get out early, then that will build pressure. So, be cautious against that.
India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against the USA on February 7.
