India, March 18 -- The T20 World Cup was seen as a grand stage for Abhishek Sharma's dazzling array of shots. But it proved a severe test of the explosive opener's methods and confidence - three ducks in a row to start with and three more failures. However, the 25-year-old overcame the low points to celebrate victory with his ecstatic teammates.

An important fifty (55) against Zimbabwe in the Super 8s showed signs of a turnaround, with the 21-ball 52 in a dominant batting display against New Zealand in the final bringing Abhishek to the party.

In an interview with HT, Abhishek talks about overcoming self-doubts, retaining mental balance and the support from skipper Suryakumar Yadav, coach Gautam Gambhir and mentor Yuvraj Singh.

Excerpt...