‘We played West Indies like they were our friends’: Abhishek Sharma urges India to play like world champions

New Delhi: Abhishek Sharma gave a pep talk to the Indian players ahead of the first T20I against in Christchurch. India defeated the Kiwis by 4 wickets in the opening game of the five-match T20I series to go 1-0 up. The visitors chased down the target of 226 runs in the game to record their highest successful chase in T20Is.

A day after their memorable win, BCCI shared a video on social media, where Abhishek was seen giving a pep talk to his teammates ahead of the game. In the video, the star batter urged the players to embrace the world champions tag and play like one, while stating that they played their last series against West Indies, treating their opponents as their friends.

India took on West Indies in a five-match T20I series at home recently, which ended in a 2-2 draw after both teams won two games apiece. The final fifth T20I of the series was washed out due to rain. India were criticised for their poor bowling performances in the series.

“Few things from my side. I think, against West Indies, we did a few things wrong because we played them like they were our friends. I think it’s the same with these guys. They are going to challenge us in that way as well. So let’s show them why we are world champions. We are going to dominate here, and we are going to win from the very first game,” Abhishek said in the video shared by the BCCI.

“And in Punjabi, we say if we rhyme well, we will perform well. So bari barsi khatne gaya si khatke leanda hand, bari barsi khatne gaya si khatke leanda hand, chalo aaj aapka pehla jitiye match in New Zealand,” he went on to leave the players and support staff in stitches.

🗣️ 𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨

Abhishek Sharma’s fiery huddle speech set the tone 🔥

#TeamIndia backed it up with a clinical victory 💪

#NZvIND | @OfficialAbhi04 https://t.co/DAu4PDiUdw

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 23, 2026

India make winning start in New Zealand

Abhishek’s pep talk did seem to have an effect on the Indian team’s morale as the visitors flexed their batting might to win the 1st T20I by 4 wickets and make a winning start to the five-match series. India rode on Sanju Samson’s brilliant 67, skipper Shreyas Iyer’s 28-ball 42 and a blistering cameo of 15-ball 42 from Naman Dhir to chase down the target of 226 runs with two balls to spare.

India and New Zealand will now lock horns in the 2nd T20I at the same venue on Saturday, October 24.