T20 World Cup: No talk in the team about Abhishek’s form, says Morkel

Morne Morkel emphasizes no team discussions on Abhishek Sharma's form as India prepares for Super Eight clash against South Africa.

India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel stressed that there had been no discussion about Abhishek Sharma’s wretched run in the T20 World Cup so far.

Abhishek is yet to open his account in the tournament, and during Friday’s (February 20, 2026) training, the opener was seen spending considerable time with head coach Gautam Gambhir. The southpaw, who has been dismissed for a duck thrice, could face another big test when India takes on South Africa in its first Super Eight match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday (February 22, 2026).

When asked if there has been talk within the team about Abhishek’s poor form, Morkel denied emphatically.

“Absolutely, no discussion. He is a world-class player. So far in the tournament, luckily, there have been some guys standing up for Abhishek (others scoring runs),” Morkel said.

Read | T20 World Cup 2026 | India enters Super Eight with four out of four record

Morkel, however, agreed that Abhishek needs to score runs as the tournament enters its business end. “But we are going through a very important phase of the World Cup now and we expect him to do well. I am pretty sure, not only for the team but also for all the viewers watching the game.