A 24-year-old youngster from Punjab received his India cap in 2024. This is pretty much enough for a player to be on seventh heaven. Abhishek Sharma had fulfilled one of those dreams, that kids usually go to sleep with. Little did he know, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav had something in store for him in the form of a golden ticket in the shortest format.
The left-handed opener from Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) is making the headlines very often these days. In the recent Asia Cup 2025, he starred with three consecutive fifties against Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. However, one of the most iconic innings in the tournament would be when he took the Pakistani bowlers to the cleaners in the Super 4s clash.
Abhishek Sharma’s style has a huge risk element to it. On his day, he might go on to score a sumptuous century. But there might be a string of low scores which might propel the team into believing that he needs to be benched. And that is what India skipper Suryakumar Yadav has been clear about with the youngster.
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For any youngster playing in his initial days at the highest level, there is a flurry of emotions. Add to that the pressure of low scores, and every delivery almost seems unplayable. This is where Suryakumar Yadav pitched in, and did a fantastic job. In a recent interview with Gaurav Kapoor on Breakfast with Champions, Abhishek Sharma revealed how Suryakumar Yadav’s advice helped him settle his nerves in the initial phase.
“Even if you score 15 ducks in a row, you will play the 16th game. I can give it to you in writing.”, said Suryakumar Yadav to the 25-year-old star.
Abhishek spoke about the relief he had in his mind after the chat with his skipper. Furthermore, he also mentioned how much that support meant too him as a player. The fact that it came directly from the captain of the side indicated a lot about the potential Abhishek had. And he has been proving his mettle ever since.
During the lean patch in his career after he had already scored a T20I century, Abhishek stated that he needed to trust more in his abilities as a player. But it wasn’t easy initially. In his first 10 T20I matches, Abhishek could cross the 20-run mark on only one occasion. That was when he scored a wonderful century against Zimbabwe in Harare.
Cut to this day, the youngster from Punjab holds five fifties and two massive hundreds to his name in the shortest format donning the blue jersey.
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