Abhishek Sharma finally teed off in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with a blistering 52 off just 21 balls in the final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad. His half century came off just 18 balls, the fastest in this year’s tournament. Speaking in the post match press conference, he revealed that he played his innings in the final with Shivam Dube’s bat.

"I batted with Shivam Dube’s bat, so thank you, Dube. In the morning, I felt like trying something different. Shubman (Gill) was not around, so I walked up to Dube and picked his bat," said Abhishek.

He spoke of how his teammates still believed in him, despite his struggles at the T20 World Cup.

“I have been dealing with this phase for the last month after having a dream run for about a year and a half. One thing matters a lot in such situations – the company you keep. If the people around you want to help you become better, it makes a big difference. When I was not contributing with the bat, everyone in the team still believed in me. They kept saying, ‘He will do it’. I never doubted my teammates, coaches or the support staff. 

The only question I had was why things were not working for me. I believe the environment around you matters a lot. The people around you should motivate you. Everyone goes through tough phases in life, not just in cricket. At that time, the company you keep becomes very important,” he elaborated.

The Punjab all-rounder said that one cannot help the team in any way if he or she has self-doubts, and the only way to keep going is with self-confidence.

“The first thing is to trust yourself, no matter how bad the phase is. When you start doubting yourself, it creates pressure, and you cannot play your natural game. That doesn’t help the team either. Self-confidence, hard work and helping others are very important. When you help others, it eventually comes back to you," he concluded.