Indian wicket-keeper bat Rishabh Pant has named in-form Abhishek Sharma as the most destructive batter ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. Abhishek has been in red-hot form, and he is going to hold the key in the upcoming T20I showpiece.
The left-hander recently scored 182 runs in five matches against New Zealand in the T20I series at an average of 45.50 and a blistering strike rate of 249.32. Sharma scored a splendid knock of 84 runs off just 35 balls in the series opener and then backed it with a 20-ball 68 in the third game.
The 25-year-old has scored 1297 runs in 38 T20I matches, averaging 37.06 and striking at 194.75.
Rishabh Pant said on Sports Tak, “Going with the current form, I think Abhishek, I would say for sure – The way he’s been very consistent for the last two years. Even in IPL, you can see that he’s maintained that form for a longer period.
“That means he has something, some process that is going for him, and he’s believing in that and backing it up. Otherwise, every day you can’t perform like that. There is some thought process, there is some vision from his own mind.”
On the other hand, Pant said India has the bowlers to win them the World Cup and feels Arshdeep Singh doesn’t get the credit he deserves at the top level.
He added, “Yes, definitely, we have World Cup-winning bowlers because we have all the variety. We have a fast bowler in our team, I think people don’t know about him that much, and he doesn’t get enough credit, and that is Arshdeep Singh. That guy works hard a lot and he’s performing well.
“Whenever he gets the chance, he mostly does well. Regularly, he isn’t able to play because of team combinations you try other things. I think all credit to him. One thing you want to see in a bowler or a player is – Is he brave from the heart? I think Arshdeep is someone who puts his heart out.”
Singh recently picked up eight wickets in four games against the Kiwis. The left-arm seamer is India’s leading wicket-taker in the T20I format with 118 scalps in 76 games.
India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against the USA on February 7.
