IND vs SA T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8s: India's star opener Abhishek Sharma might not have scored a single run during the T20 World Cup, but he still made his presence felt in Ahmedabad. Just a day before India's Super 8 clash against South Africa, the young opener was seen pumping up the team by using a Punjabi war cry in the practice session.
When the team was in a tight huddle on Friday, the BCCI had posted a video in which Abhishek is seen stepping up in the middle. He gave a short yet powerful speech and ended it with 'Jo bole so Nihaal Sat Sri Akaal'and also got loud cheers from both the teammates and the coaches.
Watch the video here:
Look at Ishan kishan's face, when Abhishek is giving the pep talk. pic.twitter.com/zm1tLzUyjZ
— Gangadhar (@gangadhar_11) February 20, 2026
The 2024 T20 World Cup finalists, India and South Africa, will lock horns with each other in Ahmedabad on Sunday. The Aiden Markram-led side will enter this stage on the back of a brilliant momentum. And as far as the hosts are concerned, they have been unbeaten till now.
For Abhishek, this war cry was exactly the opposite of what his performance has been in the ongoing mega event. He has gotten out on ducks thrice against teams like USA, Pakistan, and the Netherlands and gave the match against Namibia a miss owing to an illness. He was selected for this team because of his aggressive batting style, but he is still struggling with the bat.
But he has looked in good spirits in the training session. He was seen spending extra time with head coach Gautam Gambhir in the training session and was working on his technical skills. Gambhir explained to him some finer points, and he too listened to it carefully, and then went for the high-catching drill, and then practised batting again.
INDIA BACK ABHISHEK DURING RUN SLUMP
Even though Abhishek is going through a rough patch, the team management is still backing him, as Morne Morkel, who is India's bowling coach, has dismissed claims that there were some internal discussions about Abhishek's place in India's playing XI.
“Absolutely no discussion. He's a world-class player. So far in the tournament, luckily, there's been some guys standing up for Abhishek (others scoring runs),” Morkel told reporters on Friday.
But he also acknowledged how important the Super 8s stage is.
“But we're going through a very important phase of the World Cup now, and we expect him to do well... And I'm pretty sure, not just for the team, but also for all the viewers watching the game. Because he's entertaining, and we love to see that," he said.
The Suryakumar Yadav-led side has been unbeaten till now, but they will still face a stiff challenge against a confident South African team.