IND vs ENG T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal: As India prepares to face England in the T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal, concerns have risen over opener Abhishek Sharma's recent form, despite earlier predictions by Ricky Ponting that he would be the tournament's top run-scorer.

After six matches, Abhishek has scored just 80 runs at a strike rate of 131.14, with his highest individual score being 55 runs against Zimbabwe. In comparison, Ishan Kishan, India's other opener, has played seven matches and accumulated 224 runs at a much higher strike rate of 185.12. Meanwhile, Sanju Samson, despite playing only three matches, has scored 143 runs at a striking rate of 195.89, including a match-winning 97 runs against the West Indies in the last Super 8s match. These numbers highlight a notable gap between Abhishek's recent output and his peers' strong performances.

Now that the ongoing mega event is entering its business end, will the Men in Blue take the drastic step of dropping Abhishek Sharma from their playing XI?

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Former India cricketer Ravi Shastri believes the team management should continue with him as an opener unless he is low on confidence.

“Unless the team management realizes that mentally he’s not there—that his mindset has taken a beating – I would stick with him. It’s for them to judge through conversations and by watching him in the nets," Shastri was quoted as saying to the ICC Review.

He also said Ishan Kishan should open the innings and Rinku Singh should be part of the playing XI.

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“If that is the case, then and only then would I think of moving Ishan Kishan up the order and bringing in Rinku Singh at the bottom. I would persist with Abhishek because the last time India played England, he had a terrific series," he added.

Shastri revealed that Abhishek performed brilliantly at the Wankhede Stadium against the same opponent last year, as he had scored 135 runs and had registered the highest individual score in the shortest format as an Indian batter. “I won’t take that away. He’s got some big, incredibly fast hundreds there. I’ll persist with him because there’s enough firepower in that batting lineup," he concluded.