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Abhishek Sharma scored a fifty in 18 balls in 2026 T20 WC final (PC-Afp.com)
Team India made history in Ahmedabad as they won their second successive T20 World Cup on Sunday. After India posted 255/5 batting first, it turned into one-way traffic for the Men in Blue.
Batting first, Abhishek Sharma, alongside Sanju Samson, laid the foundation for India's gigantic total - which was also the highest team score in any ICC T20 World Cup final. The opener, who was out of form before heading into the big match, slammed an 18-ball fifty.
I batted with Shivam Dube's bat: Abhishek Sharma
Although the 25-year-old has made a revelation over his 21-ball 52 run knock. While talking to the press post the big final, Abhishek Sharma mentioned using Shivam Dube’s bat against New Zealand. Interestingly, Dube plays for Chennai Super Kings, along with MS Dhoni, who was present in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
"Today I batted with Shivam Dube’s bat, so thank you Dube. In the morning I felt like trying something different. Shubman (Gill) was not around, so I walked up to Dube and picked his bat," Abhishek Sharma told the media in the post-match presser.
Abhishek Sharma started the tournament with three consecutive ducks in the group stage. He opened his account in the game versus South Africa, where he hit 15 runs. The opener returned to form with a 55 against Zimbabwe, but his form dipped in the next two matches.
Read More: ICC Humiliates Pakistan During T20 World Cup Final, Visual Runs Openly On Pakistan TV
Abhishek was under a lot of pressure
Heading into the final, there was a lot of pressure on the World No.1 T20I batter, with the talk around dropping Abhishek Sharma. Even though there was noise coming in from Pakistan, as Mohammad Amir called him a slogger. He further stated that a hyperaggressive batter like Abhishek won't be successful against a quality pace attack.
Abhishek kept his calm and answered his critics with an Abhishek-esque knock. Although he started by defending his first two balls, he didn't look behind. He slammed the second-fastest half-century in the T20 World Cup.
While talking about the pressure on him, Abhishek was looking to jokingly answer the press, but he was interrupted by Ishan Kishan, who was sitting next to him in the conference. The opener later stated that "He (Ishan) was struggling for the last two years, mine was just for just one month".
Moreover, Ishan Kishan also had a good day at the office, who came in after Abhishek Sharma's departure. He kept the momentum going with a 25-ball 54 and stitched a century-partnership with Samson as they posted a big total in the final.
What's next for Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma?
After becoming T20 Champions, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan will be next seen playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026).
The two will bat in the top order for the Orange Army, who have one of the deadliest batting attacks, with a core comprising Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Aniket Verma.
Furthermore, the SRH won their sole IPL title in 2016, but came close last season, losing to the Kolkata Knight Riders in the final.
Read More: T20 World Cup 2026 Team Of The Tournament
