Sunil Gavaskar Urges India To Bench Struggling Abhishek Sharma In T20 WC Final: ‘He Hasn't Learned From His Dismissals’

India vs New Zealand T20 World Cup: Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has called for a squad overhaul, recommending that struggling out-of-form opener Abhishek Sharma be benched for the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand.

Seeking to make history on the back of their strong campaign, India prepares to face the Blackcaps in the title showdown at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.

Abhishek’s T20 World Cup campaign has been marked by inconsistency, with his solitary fifty highlighting the scarcity of runs. A glaring vulnerability against spin bowling has been ruthlessly exploited by opposition teams, resulting in four dismissals at the hands of spin bowling.

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This latest performance against England in the semi-final, where he was dismissed by Will Jacks after making just nine runs off seven balls, extended his disappointing tournament run, with scores of 0, 0, 0, 15, 55, 10, and 9, totalling 89 runs at an average of 12.71.

"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. 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," Gavaskar told India Today.

Gavaskar recommended Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav to explore an opening partnership between Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson.

"I would like to see Ishan Kishan open the batting with Sanju Samson, with Rinku Singh coming into the side. Rinku has that belief—you've probably seen the 'God's Plan' tattoo on his body—and sometimes things just work out for players like him," Gavaskar added.

Gavaskar also advocated for a bowling tweak, suggesting that mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy be replaced by left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

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"The other change I would consider is bringing in Kuldeep Yadav. Varun Chakravarthy's confidence looks shattered at the moment. Since the Super Eight stage, when he faced stronger teams, he has struggled and conceded a lot of runs. 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.