Ahmedabad: Flamboyant India opener Abhishek Sharma credited team culture for India's momentuous T20 World Cup victory beating New Zealand in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, on Sunday.
Abhishek added that the team culture over the past one-and-a-half years had played a key role in creating that atmosphere.
“The environment in this team has been like this for the last one-and-a-half years. Even in the last series I never felt that someone was competing against someone else,” he said.
“The entire team feels like a family. When you love each other so much and help each other, even when my runs are not coming it feels like the team’s runs are being made. So I never felt any jealousy or competition.”
The 25-year-old Abhishek, who was addressing the media after India's historic win with team-mate Ishan Kishan, also shared advice for youngsters facing difficult phases in their careers and said the people around a player could significantly influence how they overcome challenging periods.
“One thing matters a lot and that is your company,” he said. “If people around you are trying to make you better and are happy to support you, that changes a lot.”
“When my matches were not going well or I was not able to contribute, everyone still believed in me. The players, coaches and support staff always felt that I would do it. That kind of belief matters.”
Sharma stressed the importance of self-belief and maintaining confidence during tough times.
“No matter how bad your time is, it is very important to trust yourself,” Sharma said.
“When you go into self-doubt it creates pressure on your game and that does not help you or the team. Self-confidence and hard work are very important.”
He added that helping teammates during difficult phases often strengthens the team.
“When you help others during their bad time, that thing comes back to you,” Sharma said.
“At the end of the day we have to make sure everyone moves forward together. It is not just about one person getting credit. Everyone should work hard and achieve something together.”
Reflecting on the team’s success, Kishan also praised team-mates who performed under pressure during the tournament.
He specifically highlighted Sanju Samson’s performances in the knockout stages.
“It is very good to bat with Sanju because he is a tremendous player,” Kishan said.
“Even when he was not scoring runs I always believed he could change the game single-handedly. The way he showed his character in the last three games was not easy.”
Kishan said Samson’s approach during the crucial matches demonstrated the importance of backing oneself.
“He just believed in himself and went for his shots when the ball was there,” he said.
“That is the message to everyone. When you play for India you just have to go there and put the best show possible and try to make your team win.”
