India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson has thrown his weight behind struggling opener Abhishek Sharma, expressing confidence that the young left-hander can turn things around and deliver in the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand.
Abhishek Sharma’s struggles in the T20 World Cup reached a new low during the semifinal against England, where he was dismissed for just nine runs off seven balls. For the second time in the tournament, the young left-hander fell victim to the off-spin of Will Jacks, highlighting what appears to be a recurring technical vulnerability against that type of bowling.
Yet inside the Indian dressing room, the belief in the young batter remains intact. Samson insisted that the team continues to back Abhishek and believes that a turnaround could come at the biggest moment of the tournament.
“We have a great dressing-room environment. Our leaders have a lot of faith in Abhishek and we’re all supporting him. Every player goes through ups and downs. It may just take a couple of good shots in the middle and everything can change in this format. We still believe in him, and who knows—maybe the final will be his day,” Sanju Samson told reporters after the second semi-final in Mumbai.
Despite entering the knockout stage with high expectations after a promising lead-up to the tournament, the pressure of the global stage appears to have weighed heavily on the opener. His tournament highlight so far remains a 55-run knock against Zimbabwe in the Super 8 stage—notably the second-slowest half-century of his career—which has stood in contrast to the explosive reputation he built in the format.
