New Delhi, March 11 (IANS) India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak credited the team’s culture and unwavering belief in ensuring that Abhishek Sharma would come good one day during their successful 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign after enduring a difficult start to the competition.
Abhishek, the swashbuckling top-ranked T20I batter, struggled to get going in the tournament, especially after suffering from a stomach infection. He scored just one fifty and bagged three ducks before shining in the title clash against New Zealand in Ahmedabad, by hitting 52 off 21 balls, including notching up his fifty off just 18 deliveries.
“Regarding Abhishek, that boy is mentally very tough. But he used to smile even if things weren’t going well for him. He got sick at the start of the tournament and did not get a run in four league matches. He was under pressure, but against Zimbabwe, I felt that he was trying to hit the ball hard because of his lack of form.
“So it was fixed by everyone that they would do their best for keeping him in a happy space. We also kept that belief going in him that he will come good one day. Like, he scored that fifty against Zimbabwe in Chennai. Though in the match against England, he did not make big runs again, but he scored crucial runs in the final. So the combination of the team and everyone’s faith, that was supremely good for him,” Kotak told IANS in an exclusive conversation.
He also explained how he and the Indian team management managed the delicate balance of providing technical inputs without overloading a struggling player like Abhishek and keeping him in a ‘happy space’ at the same time.
“All of us in the team kept him confident and we kept saying to him, ‘Tu karega (You will come good).’ The little bit of changes were made for him both technically and tactically in terms of getting back to being among runs -for example, making more use of the crease. Then Gautam used to give some inputs as everyone used to bowl to him outside the off-stump.
“So technical inputs and tactically what I felt was necessary for him to click was also made. There was everyone’s contribution in this and keeping him confident was also the key. In coaching, you cannot do that you have to give a batter a lot of information in order to boost his confidence.
“It’s because if one does that, then he will feel ‘I have a fault here and there. Har jagah fault hi fault hai (I can see faults everywhere).’ You cannot do that and we all handled that well and passed on the messages too. Eventually, it went very well, by the grace of God,” he elaborated.
The batting coach also lauded wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan for making a successful return to the national set-up after a hiatus of nearly two years. Drafted at the expense of Shubman Gill from the T20Is against New Zealand in January with an eye to maximise batting power-play, Kishan went on to amass 317 runs and became India’s second-highest run-scorer in the tournament after Sanju Samson.
“It was such a big tournament for Ishan – almost two years later, he came back and was amazing. This boy has been with me for a long time. After being under me for Gujarat Lions in the IPL, I have seen him play two-three good innings in domestic games against Saurashtra in Rajkot and Delhi.
“In 2019, when I became India A’s head coach, he was again with me for five series. I would meet him whenever he came to NCA (now CoE). I know him well and I have seen his tough times – when he came back from South Africa in 2023 and he was not in the team. But he is a lovely player – he is someone who is very lively,” he said.
Kotak further noted a visible evolution in the wicketkeeper-batter’s temperament, while admitting that the humour element he and Abhishek bring to the team is much-needed. “I also noted that as compared to the time in the past, a lot of maturity has come into him. He laughs a lot and is funny and keeps everyone happy.
“Characters like him and Abhishek are very funny and it is important to have people like them as with pressure around all the time, dimaag phat jayega (the brain will break down). I am so happy for Ishan because this was his comeback run and the way he has performed, it was just outstanding. You can see all of his innings – the way he has played, he truly gave it all for the team,” he said.
With Samson slotting in to break the left-handed monotony, Tilak Varma went from being a proven top-order batter to hitting explosive cameos in the middle-order for maintaining momentum, something which Kotak was quick to appreciate.
“Regarding Tilak coming good at five, we had to bring in a right-handed batter early on, as the leftie batters were being dismissed by off-spinners. With Ishan at three and Surya at four, and Tilak had to slot in at number five.
“Tilak is a kind of player who will play according to the team’s needs at any number. There was no tension as such from Tilak and everyone, as they would say, ‘Any number you tell us to bat at, we will fulfill the team’s needs and do the job well,’” he said.
Beyond individual performances, Kotak highlighted the batting group’s collective selflessness by citing skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s willingness to push Shivam Dube ahead of himself in the semi-final against England in Mumbai – which in his view was emblematic of what sets a world champion winning team apart from other sides.
“It’s the same for all the players. Even Surya sacrificed his own position in the batting order. Then Shivam and Hardik contributed so well and Tilak also played so well. In all, everyone in the batting group made their contributions.
“The batting group is just like this and you can see in the semi-final, Surya sent Shivam ahead of himself. In a way, for the team’s good, it was a sacrifice. Otherwise he could have thought, ‘I can also make runs for the team. I had been the number one T20I batter and why should I send anyone ahead?’
“But it was not like that. He was also thinking about the team and it was very good to see that. That is why I think when a team becomes world champion, their sacrifice, taking all factors into consideration and team first attitude – all these things matter,” he elaborated.
Kotak also reserved high praise for Shivam Dube, who amassed 235 runs in nine matches at an average of 39.16 and an impressive strike rate of 169.06. More than the numbers, Dube’s cameos in both the semi-final and the final helped India post totals exceeding 250.
“The impact of Shivam was also very big. Look at the final – he made 26 runs in eight balls. In the semifinal, he chipped in with 43. He is a different level player now. In fact, all of them have their own beauty as batters. They play their own roles very well and according to the needs of the team.
“Sometimes they do not get to bat, but they have the same smile. At times, they will make 40-50 runs in 10-15 balls and still they will have the same smile and no change in behaviour. Dube is unbelievable and they all are unbelievable players and humans also.
“In both the semifinal and final, we posted totals above 250 runs. We have seen ups and downs in the competition, but they did well and were outstanding with the bat. We are so happy for our country that we won the World Cup in India.”
–IANS
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