(AP Photo)
After setting the IPL 2024 on fire, Abhishek Sharma continued his scorching streak in international cricket by notching his first T20I century during the second match against Zimbabwe on Saturday. Despite starting his India journey with a disappointing four-ball duck in the series opener, Abhishek swiftly rebounded to register the third-fastest T20I century by an Indian.
Throughout his career, Abhishek has maintained a special tradition with his captain and longtime friend Shubman Gill, dating back to their days in age-group cricket. The 23-year-old disclosed that during moments of pressure, he relies on Gill’s bat to regain his composure and confidence.
“Ye Under-14 say chal raha hai. Jub bhi mai uske bat say khela hoon, acha he hua hai. Aaj bhi I played with his bat only jo ki badi mushkil say mila hai mujhe. Wo deta bhi nahi easily. That is like my last option jub I mujhe lagta hai ki comeback ke liye uske bat say khelna padega. Toh special thanks to Shubman jisne mujhe apna bat de diya aur time par de diya. (This has been going on since Under-14 cricket. Whenever I have played with his bat, I’ve done well. I want to tell everyone that even today, I played with his bat which wasn’t an easy task. It’s my last option for a comeback. Special thanks to him for lending me his bat on time),” Abhishek said in a video shared by BCCI.
“It had happened in the IPL as well. Today was no exception as it went well as it usually happens,” he said during a media interaction.
Once again, Abhishek Sharma highlighted the pivotal role that legendary Yuvraj Singh has played in shaping his career, emphasizing it on Sunday.
“Yuvi paaji (Yuvraj Singh) has made a big contribution. I don’t consider myself as sixer-king or something like that. Special thanks to my dad for allowing me to play lofted shots,” he said.
“Generally, coaches don’t allow a young batter to hit lofted shots. But my dad always said if you wanted to play a lofted shot then it should go out of the ground. So, I wanted to follow that,” he added.
Abhishek credits the IPL for equipping him with the skills to handle pressure situations effectively.
“I think the IPL plays a big role in this (handling pressure). We did not feel much pressure when we came here to represent the country as debutants. Unfortunately, we didn’t start well in the first match. But my mindset and approach were pretty much similar – to show the right intent,” he said.
