Former Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif has opined that India should drop an out of form Abhishek Sharma for the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand. The explosive opener has simply failed to fire in the ongoing marquee tournament and has just one 50+ run-knock so far. Kaif has suggested that India could give Sharma a break and bring in Rinku Singh instead.
Should India drop Abhishek Sharma for T20 WC final?
In a video on his YouTube channel, Kaif claimed that there was no harm in making changes to the playing XI in the T20 World Cup 2026 final. He pointed out that Sharma had played a lot of matches and could be given a break. In this tournament, Abhishek’s scores read 0, 0, 0, 15, 55 and 10.
“India can give Abhishek Sharma a break. He has played a lot of matches now. There is no harm in making changes. You can make changes in the shortest format. Roston Chase opened against India as Brandon King was out of form. They backed him for five or six matches, but they gave him a break for a big match. I believe that, like you brought in Sanju, and he did a great job, so that change worked in your favor,” Kaif observed.
Kaif further claimed that India should bring in Rinku Singh for the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand. Lavishing praise on Rinku, the former Indian cricketer pointed out that the UP batter had managed to score runs across formats – be it in IPL, Ranji Trophy or international cricket.
“India have proven players. Rinku Singh scores runs everywhere, be it Tests, Ranji Trophy, or the IPL. Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj also take wickets everywhere. When you look in the dugout to see who can replace Abhishek Sharma, you see Rinku Singh sitting there. So, bring him in. A guy is struggling, and another guy is sitting outside despite doing well,” Kaif added.
