Former India opener and now renowned expert Virender Sehwag has suggested the team management to try out Abhishek Sharma at Number 3 for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 final against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 8. Abhishek Sharma has struggled for form in the campaign, scoring only 89 runs in seven matches at an average of 12.71 and a strike rate of 130.88.
Abhishek Sharma’s misery continued in the semi-final as well after being outdone by Will Jacks. He scored only nine runs before being caught in the deep to mark yet another poor outing. With another specialist opener in the form of Ishan Kishan batting slightly out of position at Number 3, and a finisher like Rinku Singh on the bench, there is a massive conundrum that Team India have to address.
Virender Sehwag suggests new batting position for Abhishek Sharma
Virender Sehwag, however, presented an unorthodox and radical suggestion to fix the issue. He wishes to see Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson open the innings, with Abhishek Sharma pushed down to Number 3.
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Virender Sehwag said: “In my opinion, open the batting with Ishan Kishan and play Abhishek Sharma at Number 3. Even that can be done, because he does not care whether it is the powerplay or not. When he hits, it goes out of the ground only, so it does not make a difference to him.”Â
Virender Sehwag recalled going through a similar rough patch as an opener, which was resolved after a brief stint in the middle order.
Virender Sehwag added: “It has happened to me also, when I was not scoring runs, Dada (Sourav Ganguly) pushed me down to Number 4 in the middle order. When I scored 30-40 runs, then I was back at the top of the order again.”Â
Abhishek Sharma has played at Number 3 only twice in his T20I career, during his debut series in Zimbabwe in 2024. In those outings, he scored 24 runs off 20 deliveries. Similarly, in the IPL, he has played two times at Number 3, both coming during the 2024 campaign. In those outings, the opener scored 92 runs at a strike rate of 213.95.
Zaheer Khan suggests flexibility in batting position for the final
Former India pacer Zaheer Khan feels that Team India may have to tweak their batting order to keep the left-right combination intact. In the semi-final against England, Shivam Dube was promoted up the order to combat wrist spinner Adil Rashid.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Zaheer Khan said: “We saw McConchie dismiss both de Kock and Rickelton in a single over in the semi-final, and if India want to avoid having two left-handers together, then even Surya can bat at Number 3. It remains to be seen how proactive they are. So, you may see some changes in the batting order, but not in the Playing XI.”Â
Since, the start of the home T20I series against South Africa in December 2025, Suryakumar Yadav has only batted at Number 3 on two occasions. The skipper has largely remained fixed at Number 4, with the likes of Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma operating higher up the order.
It remains to be seen whether the Indian think-tank thinks of such a radical move in the grand finale of demoting Abhishek to Number 3. Sehwag has his viewpoints and some of it may seem justified as well, but making this move right now seems far fetched. We do not see Abhishek being dropped or coming down to 3 as the expectations are that the batting order will remain the same as Abhishek has backing of captain and coach.
It remains to be seen whether finally, Abhishek gets his mojo back and starts playing the way we know him to. India needs Abhishek to fire or else the cup could be heading to the Southern Hemisphere in New Zealand. A cracking final awaits us all in Ahmedabad.
Also Read:Â ICC T20 WC 2026: India & New Zealand Aims To Create History In Summit Clash.