Among India’s long queue of next generation talents, Abhishek Sharma is easily one of the most celebrated names, especially in the T20 format. Earlier this month, he made his international debut against Zimbabwe and followed it with a historic century against the African nation. The young all-rounder smashed India’s third-fastest century in T20Is from only 47 balls, guiding the Men in Blue to a mammoth 234/2 total followed by a sublime 100-run comprehensive victory over them.
It is not hard to see why he was handed his international debut in T20Is, especially after a sensational IPL 2024 season with Sunrisers Hyderabad where he wrecked havoc alongside his opening partner, Travis Head. The duo were at their devastating best and though they fell short in the final against the Kolkata Knight Riders, none can take away the fact that they played a brilliant brand of cricket throughout the campaign.
Therefore, the hundred against Zimbabwe in his second international match for India is something that many people saw coming. He broke several records on the day while also becoming the 10th Indian player to hammer a century in T20Is. His 46-ball century saw him register the third-fastest century for India in this format, only behind Rohit Sharma (35-ball hundred vs Sri Lanka, 2017), Suryakumar Yadav (45-ball century vs Sri Lanka, 2023), matching KL Rahul’s 46-ball ton against West Indies back in 2016.
Abhishek was ruthless on the day as he went on a six-hitting rampage against the Zimbabwean spinners. As per ESPNCricinfo, the youngster smacked 65 runs off the Zimbabwean spinners, the most for India in a T20I, surpassing his mentor Yuvraj Singh’s 58 runs against Pakistani spinners in 2012 in Ahmedabad. The southpaw scored those runs off 28 balls while striking at whopping 232.14 with six maximums and four boundaries.
But, Abhishek’s rise to this level has not caught many off guard, especially after seeing him go hell for leather in this year’s IPL for SRH. He hammered some of the best bowlers in the world with sheer elegance and nonchalance. His ability to take spinners on is very similar to Yuvraj Singh, who also believed in attack is the best form of defence. The youngster was a pivotal figure in SRH’s run to the final in IPL 2024 with 484 runs with a stunning strike rate of 204.21. He slammed three fifties and gave the Sunrisers powerful starts in the powerplay overs.
His swashbuckling performances saw him earn a lot of plaudits from fans and also from many experts. Many wanted him to be fast tracked into India’s T20 World Cup team. However, he got his elusive international breakthrough in the Zimbabwe tour. After his exceptional IPL 2024 campaign, his father, Rajkumar credited his son’s rigorous training program for all the success.
“I’m really happy with the way Abhishek has performed in this IPL 2024. He was given a role to play aggressively in the powerplay overs by the team management (SRH) and he did that. In fact, both the openers (Travis Head & Abhishek) were given that role to score as many runs as they could in the first six overs,” said Rajkumar to the media in elation. Incidentally, his father also happens to be Abhishek’s first coach since his childhood days.
“He is very prepared to play at the highest level. He has worked hard. He has had a very hectic schedule. He used to get up at 4 am, and do meditation followed by running, exercise, cycling, swimming, and gym. After all this, he used to do his batting, bowling and fielding drills. I used to be very happy that he was spending so much time in training. He used to bat three hours in the nets against a different variety of bowlers.”
HAS YUVRAJ SINGH HELPED ABHISHEK SHARMA?
Abhishek is currently mentored by former India star cricketer Yuvraj Singh. The veteran all-rounder has played a key role in shaping the 23-year-old’s career who has several similarities with his mentor. Apart from him, Shubman Gill also looks up to Yuvraj and the two youngsters spent a lot of time training during the COVID-19 pandemic under Yuvraj’s watchful eyes. He has made some tweaks in their batting stances to combat different types of bowlers under different situations. The youngsters also got more refined mentally under his guidance.
In Abhishek’s case, Yuvraj didn’t change a lot as he always liked his natural flair. The former Indian star minimized his back-lift movement which eventually allowed him to generate more power in his strokes. Yuvraj’s father, Yograj Singh has also spent a lot of time with the young all-rounder. Yograj helped Abhishek work on his bowling as he believes that Abhishek can be an asset for the Men in Blue with his left-arm spin. While his bowling is still a work in progress at the international level, it is surely an area the 23-year-old is working on.
After Abhishek’s swashbuckling performances in IPL 2024, there was a lot of buzz and many people wanted him in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup this year. However, Yuvraj Singh was blunt with his thoughts as he clearly highlighted how the southpaw isn’t ready.
“Abhishek is almost there but I don’t think he is ready for the World Cup right now,” Yuvraj Sing told Cricbuzz. His comments came right before the Indian squad was announced for the World Cup in USA and West Indies. It proves the honesty that Yuvraj shares with Abhishek as he highlighted how the youngster will be ready in the upcoming six months.
“For the World Cup, we have to take an experienced side. Obviously some guys have played for India. After the World Cup, he should be prepared to play for India. That is what he should focus on. Coming six months will be very important for Abhishek,” Yuvraj added.
Following Abhishek’s maiden international hundred Yuvraj posted a emotional journey video congratulating the youngster. “Well done, very proud. You deserved it. Many more to come, this is just the start,” Yuvraj said on the video-call with Abhishek Sharma.
The young opener also revealed how Yuvraj was happy with his second-ball duck against Zimbabwe on his international debut for India. Abhishek was puzzled by his reaction but eventually understood and thanked his mentor after the century. “I had called Yuvi paji after the first match and I don’t know why, but he was very happy, he was like that’s a good start. I think he must be proud today as well, just like my family. So I am really happy, and it is all because of him as well, the hard work that he has put on me. For 2–3 years, he has been working really hard on me and not just cricket, even off the field as well. So, it’s a big moment,” Abhishek told the media.
RETRACING ABHISHEK SHARMA’S JOURNEY
Born in Amritsar on September 4, 2000 to father Rajkumar and mother Manju Sharma, Abhishek was the younger of their three kids, with two elder sisters Komal and Sonia. He completed his school from Delhi Public School and was always a fan of cricket from a very young age. He also grew up with fellow India cricket Shubman Gill, who also had dreams of representing India in cricket.
The two friends came even closer due to their love for the game. They have been a crucial part of each other’s journey to the Indian cricket team. It all started with them opening the batting for Punjab at the U-14 level.
At the youth level, Abhishek announced himself with a maiden century in the 2015-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy at the U-16 level. He went from strength to strength in that tournament with both bat and ball. He smashed 1,200 runs in the tournament with a jaw dropping average of 109.09 as he finished as the highest run-getter. He also topped it off with 57 wickets in the same tournament. His exceptional all-round performances saw him win the prestigious Raj Dungarpur Award.
Looking at his talent, he quickly made it to the U-19 level for Punjab in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy. His stellar performances for Punjab saw him led India U-19 at the ACC U-19 Asia Cup in 2016 in Sri Lanka. He continued leading India U-19 in a home Youth ODI series against England where the Blue Colts won the series 3-1.
His performances at the youth level saw him make his First-Class debut in the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy campaign against Himachal Pradesh on October 6, 2017. The youngster impressed on his FC debut with a fantastic 94 despite batting at number eight. He played an important role in securing a draw for Punjab in that match.
Abhishek was later named in India’s U-19 squad for the 2008 U-19 World Cup in New Zealand. Although he played all the six matches, his only meaningful contribution with a 66-run knock against Bangladesh in the quarterfinals as the U-19 outfit eventually lifted the World Cup.
BECOMING A HOUSEHOLD NAME VIA THE IPL
A week before India’s U-19 team was announced, Delhi Daredevils took a calculated risk by signing Abhishek Sharma. Later, the youngster was named in India’s U-19 squad for the 2018 U-19 World Cup. However, Abhishek Sharma joined the Delhi franchise for ₹55 lakh in the IPL 2018 auction. He was quick to prove a point as he smashed a 19-ball 46* in his IPL debut against Royal Challengers Bangalore on May 12, 2018. His late blitzkrieg led the Daredevils to a good total of 181/4. However, they still lost that match by five wickets courtesy of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers’ brilliance. But, the highlight of the game was the Indian youngster smashing a world-class bowler like Tim Southee all over the park.
Surprisingly, he finished the IPL season with only two matches, but his debut drew a lot of attention. When Delhi Daredevils came knocking on Sunrisers Hyderabad’s door for Shikhar Dhawan, the Hyderabad franchise were hellbent to include Abhishek Sharma’s name in the trade. Eventually, SRH received three players from Delhi while Dhawan went the other way. Apart from Abhishek, SRH also secured the services of Vijay Shankar and Shahbaz Nadeem.
Abhishek’s move from Delhi to Hyderabad wasn’t the smoothest transition. He struggled for gametime in the first season at SRH. In 2020, he struggled for runs as he scored only 71 runs while scalping only two wickets from eight matches. His struggle continued in the following season. But, the Sunrisers Hyderabad persisted with the young all-rounder and he finally delivered in IPL 2022 with 426 runs from 14 matches as he was transformed into an opening batter. He wasn’t at his best last year, but he has returned with a bang in IPL 2024, guiding his team to the runners up position.
Notably, Abhishek is already SRH’s fifth-highest run-getter in IPL with 1,314 runs from 60 matches. He has also returned with 11 wickets with his limited opportunities with the ball.
ABISHEK SHARMA AT THE DOMESTIC LEVEL
Abhishek Sharma is already a big name in Indian domestic circuit especially after Punjab’s Syed Mustaq Ali Trophy triumph in 2023 season. They played fearless cricket and were crowned champions of the tournament after defeating Baroda in the final. Abhishek played a massive role in Punjab’s stunning victory as he finished as the second-highest run-getter in the tournament. He hammered 485 runs at a whopping 192.46 strike rate. He tonked two centuries and three fifties, including a crucial 45-ball 77 in the semifinals against Delhi.
Abhishek registered his name in the history books as India’s fastest centurion in List A cricket with his 45-ball century for Punjab against Madhya Pradesh in 2021 Vijay Hazare Trophy. Although he finished the tournament with only 212 runs with a solitary ton and fifty. Later, Urvil Patel broke Abhishek’s record with a 41-ball List A ton in 2023.
While many believe, Abhishek is tailor made for limited overs cricket, the youngster has shown enough resolve to succeed in the longer format. He slammed his maiden First-Class century in December 2022 against Chandigarh in a Ranji Trophy match which ended in a draw.
In the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy, Abhishek Sharma became the fourth Indian to smash five sixes in an over in First-Class cricket only behind Ravi Sashtri (who smashed six maximums), Reuben Paul, and Shivam Dube. He was fourteenth cricketer overall to achieve this feat. He registered this record against Tamil Nadu off Sai Kishore’s bowling. Overall, he had a forgettable 2023-24 Ranji Trophy campaign with 199 runs and a solitary half-century from four matches.
FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT FOR ABHISHEK SHARMA
With Gautam Gambhir at the helm, Indian cricket team will surely go through a lot of changes in the upcoming months. Considering the form Abhishek is in, he will be in the reckoning to make it to the T20I setup. With more performances in the domestic arena, the talented all-rounder can also be an asset for India in ODIs aswell. Gambhir is an admirer and believer of fearless attacking cricket, something that was evident from his time at Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024. He will look to instill that mentality in the Indian Cricket Team and when we are speaking about fearless there are very few names in Indian cricket who are more fearless than the 23-year-old all-rounder.
