Defending champions India head into their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final against England at the Wankhede Stadium drawing comfort from opener Abhishek Sharma’s formidable record at the venue, even as the opener endures a lean run in the tournament.
India, chasing a second successive appearance in the final, face England on Thursday at the Wankhede, a ground where Abhishek has previously produced one of his most explosive knocks. Though he has managed just 80 runs in six innings in this edition, averaging 13.33, the 25-year-old’s 54-ball 135 at the venue against the same opponents remains a timely reminder of the damage he can inflict.
Backing the left-hander ahead of the high-stakes clash, former India head coach Ravi Shastri said the decision to retain him should depend primarily on his mental readiness.
“Unless the team management realises that, mentally he’s not there. If mentally, his mindset has taken a beating, it’s for them to judge from the outside, in conversations with him, just seeing the way he’s batting in the nets,” Shastri said while speaking on The ICC Review.
Despite the modest returns so far, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting also urged India to persist with Abhishek, recalling his own expectations of a breakout campaign.
“He’s obviously not made the runs that any of us expected,” Ponting stated. “I had him down as the leading run scorer and possibly the player of the tournament going back about a month ago. That hasn’t happened yet, but I would agree with Ravi. I would stick with him.”
Shastri indicated that only concerns over Abhishek’s mental space would prompt a reshuffle at the top, potentially pushing Ishan Kishan up the order and bringing Rinku Singh into the XI.
“If that’s the case, then and only then will I think of putting Ishan Kishan up the order and then probably Rinku Singh bringing him, at the bottom,” he added.
“That could be the only change, but I would still persist with him because last time India played England, he had a terrific series against them.”
Shastri also pointed specifically to Abhishek’s past success at the Wankhede as a reason for faith.
“I won’t take that away at the Wankhede,” Shastri said. “He’s done well in the past. He’s got some big hundreds there and very quick hundreds. I’ll persist with him because there’s enough firepower in that batting.”
Ponting, meanwhile, emphasised the balance India possess regardless of the final call. “We know on his day, he’s an out-and-out match-winner,” Ponting said. “But that’s the hard thing with this Indian side as well. And if you were to leave him out and you bring Rinku in, then you’ve got another match-winner coming into your side as well.
“I like the look of their top order the other day, the way that it was left-hand, right-hand openers, Kishan in at number three, who’s a very dangerous player in himself. I’d be keeping a really close eye on the way Abhishek’s going about his training.”
Ponting also suggested a mental reset rather than extended net sessions could help unlock a decisive contribution on the big night. “Sometimes, when you’re going through a bit of a slump like that, it’s not always best just to go into the nets every day and bat for an hour and a half.
“Sometimes it’s better off to let these guys just have a couple of days away, like mentally freshen up. The skills don’t go anywhere. You don’t lose your skills,” Ponting noted.
“But in a tournament like this, when you’re consistently and constantly under pressure and the results aren’t coming, sometimes just leaving your bag zipped up, turning up the training, getting a little bit of bowling done, getting your fielding done, but not actually batting and almost starving yourself of going back into the nets.
“I think Abhishek’s got something up his sleeve for the semi-final,” Ponting predicted.