‘Drop Abhishek Sharma, Varun Chakravarthy’: Sunil Gavaskar suggests ahead of India-New Zealand final | T20 World Cup

Sunil Gavaskar believes India should drop Abhishek Sharma in the T20 World Cup 2026 final. The Men in Blue will take on New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium today, 8 March.

According to the former India captain, the young batter has not learned from his mistakes. He keeps getting out in the same way during the tournament.

Abhishek Sharma has struggled badly in the T20 World Cup so far. The 25-year-old has scored only 89 runs with a low average of 12.71, with 3 ducks in the tournament.

Spinners have also troubled him as he has lost his wicket to spin bowling 4 times. His numbers would look even worse if he had not scored a half-century against Zimbabwe in the Super 8 stage.

Gavaskar pointed out that Abhishek had not changed his approach despite repeated failures. The batter keeps attacking from the start instead of taking time to settle.

In the semi-final against England, he again played an aggressive shot early. He got out to spinner Will Jacks in the 2nd over after scoring just 9 runs.

“It's a very tough call. Abhishek Sharma is the No. 1 batter in the ICC T20 rankings. But, he hasn't learned from his dismissals. He keeps getting out in the same region where his arms are cramped for room,” Gavaskar told India Today.

"Bowlers are targeting that area and forcing mistakes. My concern is that he either hasn't adjusted yet or is unable to change his approach," he said.

Sunil Gavaskar has suggested a few changes in India’s playing XI for the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand. He believes Rinku Singh should replace Abhishek Sharma in the team.

According to Gavaskar, Ishan Kishan should open the batting with Sanju Samson. The cricket legend believes Rinku Singh has a strong belief in himself and often performs well in pressure situations. He even mentions Rinku’s “God’s Plan” tattoo as a symbol of his confidence and positive mindset.

‘Drop Varun Chakravarthy’

Gavaskar also spoke about India’s bowling options. He feels the team management should think about replacing spinner Varun Chakravarthy with Kuldeep Yadav. Varun has struggled since the Super 8 stage. The world’s number 1 T20 bowler gave away more than 60 runs in his 4 overs in the semi-final.

Gavaskar believes Varun’s confidence appears low at the moment. He believes Kuldeep Yadav is a better choice at the Narendra Modi Stadium because of the large boundaries.

“At a ground like the Narendra Modi Stadium, with big boundaries, Kuldeep Yadav could be a good option because he can turn the ball even on flat surfaces," Gavaskar said.

Catch the live action of the T20 World Cup 2026 with the complete T20 World Cup 2026 Schedule, and the T20 World Cup 2026 Points Table. Also, know who are currently leading the charts for Most Runs in T20 World Cup 2026 and Most Wickets in T20 World Cup 2026.