Abhishek Sharma performed exceptionally well in the Asia Cup 2025, but his journey hasn’t been smooth. He scored 314 runs in the tournament and was also awarded as the ‘Player of the Tournament.’
The 25-year old made his international debut in the series against Zimbabwe last year but initially he struggled to score runs. It was during this challenging phase, that the India’s T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav instilled confidence in him with a powerful message. He told Abhishek that even if he was dismissed for 15 ducks in a row he would still play his 16th match.
Abhishek Sharma in conversation on Breakfast with Champions with Gaurav Kapur, recalled how Suryakumar Yadav’s words gave him confidence and transformed his mindset.
“When I got selected in the Indian team, I got out early in 3-4 innings in the series against Bangladesh. He told me, ‘You’re such an important player for me that even if you get out for 15 ducks, you will still play the next game. I can give it to you in writing’. I asked him, ‘Paaji, are you sure?’,” said Abhishek.
“It was such a big deal that the captain was saying this. He told me, “Get out as many times, you’ll still play. One thing became very clear to me that if I want to do well and make a name for myself, I have to do something different,” he added.
Also Read: Will Mohsin Naqvi be punished for stealing Asia Cup trophy? Here’s what the rules say!
Abhishek Sharma also mentioned about playing aggressively and explained what he changed in his game-play.
“That was striking the ball for me. I felt that I was stopping myself from doing that because I felt the pressure of playing a long game and keeping my wicket. I completely removed that from my head,” said Abhishek.
