Mohammad Kaif, the former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) player, made big remarks, saying you feel the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli when players like Abhishek Sharma are not doing well. He pointed out that the junior players need someone like Virat and Rohit at the other end to communicate during batting. Notably, India is set to play its first Super 8 match against South Africa on Sunday, 22 February, and Abhishek Sharma’s form is still a concern for the team.
“You Feel the Absence of Virat and Rohit” – Ex-RCB Cricketer’s Big Remark Before ICC T20 World Cup 2026 IND vs SA Super 8
On his YouTube channel, Mohammad Kaif highlighted the importance of senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the team when youngsters struggle. Abhishek Sharma is yet to score a single run in this tournament, and highlighting his form, Kaif said that having them in the middle would have supported Abhishek, as they could have guided him with important advice during the game.
Kaif said, "When Abhishek is not playing well, like at the moment, you feel the absence of players like Virat and Rohit in the team. When Virat was playing, he would talk to the other batters, and Rohit also. They have played a lot and seen a lot. It is always an advantage to juniors to have such players. The mental stage that Abhishek is in right now, having someone like Virat and Rohit, would be advantageous to youngsters. Abhishek would have gotten a lot of guidance if they were there."
Abhishek Sharma has scored three consecutive ducks against the USA, Pakistan, and the Netherlands in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Kaif believed that Abhishek has to change his game a bit, recalling Virat Kohli’s example, where he changed his game in the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
"Virat had a strike rate of 150 in the IPL and tried to play the same way in the 2024 World Cup, but it did not work for him. The pitches were different. In the final, he changed his game a lot late, but he did go back to being his old self, valuing his wicket. He also changed his game. So if a great batter can do that, the time has come for Abhishek to fine-tune as well. You cannot play at your own pace, as it has not worked out for you here," he added.
Mohammad Kaif also backed Abhishek Sharma to play the Super 8 match against South Africa and praised captain Suryakumar Yadav for supporting Abhishek in this tough phase.
"I don't think Sanju will play. You cannot leave Abhishek at this point. You want him to score and win games. It is like a new tournament in the Super 8. This is a new stage and a bigger tournament. He must forget what happened in the group stage. Surya said a good thing that they are with Abhishek. When the days are good, everyone comes to take credit. When the bad time comes, then it is the test of the captain," he said.
India vs South Africa, the Super 8 clash of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, will be played on 22 February 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
