Legendary Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan praised Abhishek Sharma for his impressive innings against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final. Murali Karthik, on the other hand, recalled how big players perform on big occasions and compared Abhishek’s innings in the final to Virat Kohli’s special innings after a low score in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
India, the defending champions of the 2024 T20 World Cup and the current reigning champions of the 2026 edition, created a record of being the first team to successfully defend their title, and that too on their home soil. However, the defending champions did not make a very steady start to the tournament.
Abhishek Sharma’s poor form during the initial group-stage games led to an inconsistent start for India. They played in three of the four games of the group stage and made three consecutive comeback wins, two of which came against weaker teams such as the United States and the Netherlands.
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Abhishek’s impact came when it mattered most- Zaheer Khan
Going into the final, Abhishek, whose confidence had perhaps reached an all-time low, scored just 89 runs in 7 matches for India. However, his impressive innings dominated the final.
“We had a lot of expectations from him (Abhishek). There were a lot of expectations especially when it comes to his form in this World Cup, but Abhishek Sharma suffered from some kind of illness and then his form went down for a short period of time during the World Cup.
Zaheer Khan on Cricbuzz Live said, “He was getting out early; however, when things mattered most, his impact came to the rescue. If he faces balls, he will bat at this strike rate. This is important for the team, as it makes a big impact at the start of the innings. Sanju Samson also got some time today and despite that, a record powerplay was witnessed today.”
“Abhishek may not have had the best World Cup, but he always had the best potential and that’s why the team supported him and his impact was evident,” he said.
Time will come, man will come – Murali Karthik enthuses Abhishek Sharma
Former Indian spinner Murali Karthik then made a great comparison as he credited Abhishek Sharma for his impact in the final despite a muted tournament so far, while also mentioning Virat Kohli’s most iconic T20 World Cup innings, which came after a muted tournament for him in the 2024 World Cup final.
“It was you who said, ‘The time will come, the man will come,'” Murali Karthik pointed towards presenter Gaurav Kapoor and claimed, “Who was that man in the last World Cup? It was 18-year-old VK.”
Karthik praised Abhishek and said, “There were such expectations from him (Abhishek Sharma). People had predicted that something like this could happen and finally that is what happened. The strike rate is 247. He comes like he goes from 0 to 100 in two seconds.”
‘Like Kohli in 2024, Abhishek made a big contribution’ @KarthikMurali , @imzaheer And @gauravkapur Innings director, on Cricbuzz Live Hindi. Powered by @ambujacementacl #T20WorldCup #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/NamyPPSLgl
– Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) 9 March 2026
Abhishek Sharma ends his maiden T20 World Cup with 141 runs
India’s left-handed superstar, despite a strong finish to the tournament, would not mark it as a memorable season with the bat. They had a quiet start to 2026 but will certainly look to bounce back after boosting their confidence with the win in the final.
After three zeroes, two half-centuries and an average of 17.62, Abhishek Sharma ended his series with 141 runs. Although his strike rate was good and the two fifties came at a good pace, his first ICC tournament may not have been as memorable in terms of individual statistics.
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