Abhishek Sharma at No. 2: India’s worst performers at the 2026 T20 World Cup

India created history by winning the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup and becoming three-time champions. The Men in Blue became the first team to win and defend the T20 World Cup at home after beating New Zealand by 96 runs in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

While the third T20 World Cup win brought joy to the fans, the tournament also exposed the struggles of some great Indian players who did not perform consistently and were heavily criticized such as Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy.

3. Varun Chakraborty

Indian mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy finished the tournament with 14 wickets and finished as the highest wicket-taker. However, his actions had two very different phases.

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In the early matches against smaller teams and Pakistan, Varun looked almost unplayable and regularly took wickets at an astonishing strike rate of 5.17. But things changed in the Super 8 and knockout games, when the mystery spinner started leaking runs at an economy of 11.63 while taking just 4 wickets.

His spell against England in the semi-final was particularly costly, where he conceded 64 runs in four overs, which is one of the most expensive spells in the history of the T20 World Cup.

2. Abhishek Sharma

Abhishek Sharma entered the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup as the world’s No. 1 ranked T20I batsman. Expectations were very high, but his campaign started in the worst possible way. The young Indian opener failed to score a single run in the first round, recording ducks against the US, Pakistan and the Netherlands. He had missed one match due to illness.

It was the first time in the history of the T20 World Cup that a batsman started his campaign with three consecutive ducks. The rival teams soon noticed the left-handed batsman’s weakness against spin bowling and early on used off-spinners to trouble him.

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Due to his repeated failures, India’s batting line-up was under immense pressure. Even Abhishek remained under a lot of pressure, with many pundits even questioning his place in the playing XI. However, Abhishek eventually delivered in the final against New Zealand.

He played fearless cricket and hit a quick half-century in just 18 balls, becoming one of the fastest fifties in a T20 World Cup knockout match. His explosive knock silenced his critics and helped India post a huge total and eventually lift the cup.

1. Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav achieved a major milestone by becoming only the third Indian captain to win the T20 World Cup. However, the Indian captain’s batting form left many disappointed. Apart from a brilliant 84-run defeat to USA in the group stage, Suryakumar struggled to score runs.

The stylish batsman’s performances in the Super 8 phase and the knockout matches were way below expectations. In the semi-final against England and the final against New Zealand, he was dismissed cheaply, which put extra pressure on the middle order.

Suryakumar amassed 242 runs in the 2026 T20 World Cup with an average of 30.25 and a strike rate of 171 in the tournament. Despite winning the title, the skipper faced huge setbacks as he failed to land big blows.