In a high-stakes situation, India's batting lineup is under scrutiny, with the team's performance at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 leaving fans and experts alike questioning the team's strategy. Despite the pressure, Ravi Shastri and Ricky Ponting are standing by Abhishek Sharma, urging faith in the young batter. But here's where it gets controversial... While Abhishek's numbers in this tournament - 80 runs in six matches at an average of 13.33, with a highest score of 55 and a strike rate of 131.14 - reflect a struggle, Ponting believes the batter's attacking instinct should be trusted. He states, "He's obviously not made the runs that any of us expected." But is this the right call? Some may argue that the team should consider a change in strategy, perhaps bringing in Ishan Kishan, who has had a strong tournament himself with 224 runs from seven games. However, Shastri outlined the only scenario in which he would consider a tweak to the batting order, where Kishan would move up the order. "If that's the case, then and only then will I think of putting Ishan Kishan up the order and then probably Rinku Singh bringing him, at the bottom," he added. "That could be the only change, but I would still persist with him because last time India played England, he had a terrific series against them." But what do you think? Should the team stick with Abhishek or make a change? And this is the part most people miss... While Abhishek's previous outing at the Wankhede stadium yielded a 54-ball 135 at a strike rate of 250, against none other than their semi-final opponent England, some may argue that a mental reset could unlock something special for the dazzling batter. "Sometimes, when you're going through a bit of a slump like that, it's not always best just to go into the nets every day and bat for an hour and a half," Ponting noted. "But in a tournament like this, when you're consistently and constantly under pressure and the results aren't coming, sometimes just leaving your bag zipped up, turning up the training, getting a little bit of bowling done, getting your fielding done, but not actually batting and almost starving yourself of going back into the nets." So, what's your take? Will Abhishek bounce back or is it time for a change? Defending champions India and England will be eyeing a place in the final when they take on each other on 5 March at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
