NEWS
Follow UsOn July 6 (Saturday), Abhishek Sharma didn’t have the best of starts to his international career when he walked away without troubling the scorers in the first T20I against Zimbabwe. However, the left-hander wasn’t too fazed by the failure on debut, showing his class with a staggering century in the second T20I.
The left-hander was coming off a stellar Indian Premier League (IPL) season, where he scored 484 runs at a strike rate of 204.22. He put on a similar display in the second T20I, scoring a century off 46 balls with seven fours and eight sixes.
Read: From duck to hundred, Abhishek turns India's fortunes with the bat
In the aftermath of his blazing century, the left-hander credited the cash-rich league for taking away the pressure of playing international cricket.
"I think IPL plays a big role in this because as a youngster, as a debutant, we didn't feel much pressure when we came to represent the country," Abhishek said.
"It's always a great motivation once you are playing for the country. Unfortunately it didn't go well in yesterday's game, but my mindset and intent was same. I had a word with the other debutants too, we've all played cricket together a long time, since U14 days I'd say. I think it's all about approach in T20, about intent. If I show intent and if it is my day, it usually goes like this,” he added.
Abhishek was one of the stars at the 2024 IPL, where his renowned power-hitting abilities came to the fore for Sunrisers Hyderabad, who reached their first IPL final in six years. His influence in the powerplay was one of the major reasons India picked him in the first place, with 343 of his 2024 IPL runs coming in the first six overs.
"All this is due to the hard work I've done. Special thanks to my dad who always encouraged me to play lofted shots even when I was a kid. Usually coaches don't allow you to play lofted shots much. My dad used to tell me that if you want to play a lofted shot, it should go out of the ground. For me, it's always been there from my childhood that if I'm confident, I like to express myself,” he added.
Since he first shone in the 2016 Youth Asia Cup for the U-19 squad, he was always touted to reach greater heights, including when he played a vital role in India’s 2018 U-19 World Cup.
"The journey has been very beautiful," Abhishek looked back. "When we started playing, we were around 10-11 years and we have been playing since U12 together. The ultimate goal was to represent the country. I have said this before that the first call I got (about selection) was from Shubman, he was very happy,” he said.
"I played with his [Shubman's] bat today and it went really well, special thanks to him for the bat. This happens from the U12 days, whenever I think it's a pressure game or it's a match I should perform, I take his bat. Even in the IPL, I ask for his bat. Even today it went really well."
If you’ve not downloaded the Cricket.com app yet, you’re missing out — big time. Play Fantasy on Cricket.com NOW! Download the App here.
