India’s latest batting superstar Abhishek Sharma has shot to the limelight after brutally demolishing England’s bowling by striking 135 in India’s crushing victory in the fifth T20 at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. His recent performance has made him the biggest case study to demonstrate how perseverance leads to success in any domain. Abhishek, one the youngest rising stars of the Indian cricket team, also broke some of the toughest records of the decade. These include scoring India’s highest score in a T20 international, surpassing Shubman Gill’s 126 against New Zealand in 2023 and smashing fifty from 17 balls, the second-fastest for an Indian batter after Yuvraj’s 12-ball half-century against England in 2007. Let’s learn more about Abhishek Sharma’s glorious journey and his T20 rise. We take you through his beginnings, career highlights and interesting relationship with mentor Yuvraj Singh.
2018 Under-19 World Cup: The biggest milestone
Abhishek Sharma, 24, was born on 4th September 2000 in Amritsar, Punjab. He’s a left-handed batsman and a left-arm spinner. He has made a name for himself in the cricket world through his performance during the 2018 ICC under-19 World Cup. Although, he was not in the news or the limelight back then unlike his contemporaries (Subhman Gill and Prithvi Shaw), Abhishek’s all-round performance didn’t go unnoticed. Cricketing experts like Sanjay Manjrekar spotted his talent instantly and even commented about him saying “he’s the all-rounder who quietly makes a difference while leading the team to victory.”
IPL and Domestic Cricket
After the Under-19 World Cup, Abhishek continued to strive for excellence by playing domestic cricket from Punjab. It was in 2018 that Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) scouted him for the Indian Premiere League. Though he was not able to capture the masses nor the media during that time, it was the first time he got to showcase his talent in an event of such grandeur.
In 2020, Abhishek joined Sunrisers Hyderabad for the IPL tournament after the auction in 2019 and became an indispensable player instantly. His last season’s inning with Travis Head broke the internet and made him one of the most recognisable faces of the Cricket world. His social media following also increased massively overnight. With now over 2 million followers on Instagram, he’s one of the biggest and youngest superstars of cricket.
With bigshots of the game like David Warner praising his fearless performance, grit and vigour, Abhishek has now become a permanent member of the SRH franchise.
Key moments from the latest innings
The recent T-20 final against England was by far Sharma’s best performance, he not only bewitched the crowd by making the quickest 135 from 54 balls but was almost at the edge of breaking Rohit Sharma’s 35 ball T-20 century record. His inning included 13 sixes which is the most that an Indian has hit in T20 internationals. His half century also holds the record for being the second- fastest T20 half century by an Indian just behind Yuvraj Singh’s 12-ball 50 in 2007.
Yuvraj Singh’s Mentorship: Making Sharma a delight to watch
Some netizens also believe that Abhishek’s performance often gives them nostalgia by making them remember Yuvraj Singh’s prime years. Yuvraj Singh is not only the master of this game but also Abhishek’s biggest supporter, best friend and a vital mentor, taking him under his wing after the pandemic. According to Abhishek, Yuvraj not only focused on refining his technical game but also gave him the space to process his mental state during the matches. Yuvraj has helped Abhishek adapt to pressure during high-stakes cricket games. This not only helped Abhishek immensely to perform consistently at the international level, but also in fast-paced cricket formats like T20s. Interestingly, Yuvraj has shown tough love to Abhishek after becoming his mentor, stating that fans and the media should not expect the young cricketer to don India colours after just one remarkable season.
Breaking one record at a time!
Abhishek Sharma now holds the highest “individual score record” by an Indian batsman in the history of T20I surpassing Subhuman gill who scored 126 in New Zealand against England in 2023. He now also has the most sixes in a single T20I innings record to his name. Thus, Abhishek’s rise in International cricket not only gives hope and strength to young players but he is also on the right path to become every Indian household’s favourite cricketer.
