Abhishek Sharma saw the 2025 Asia Cup as a statement rather than just a good competition. His ability to influence games at the highest level was demonstrated during this campaign, although his early T20I appearances had suggested it. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav trusted him, which allowed him to adopt a bold style based on high-risk strokeplay. He claimed that having that support enabled him to approach each game with the same attitude.
“This has never felt like a pressure match to me. Every match has been equally prepared by us. due to the manner in which I have been performing. After winning player of the tournament, Abhishek Sharma remarked, “I feel like Surya bhai and GG ji have given me confidence because you have to go up and down when you want to play like this [brand of cricket].”
The strategy was risky, but the benefits exceeded the drawbacks: India won the Asia Cup for the ninth time with 314 runs at a strike-rate of 200 in seven games.
“There will inevitably be failures if you choose to gamble at such a high risk. However, I believe that the way they treated me and spoke to me at the time—Gambhir and Suryakumar—is what caused me to play this manner because it is crucial to have such support from the team.”
Abhishek Sharma has taken a while to arrive. He played with current Test captain Shubman Gill in India’s 2018 U19 World Cup-winning team, but his journey has not been easy. He found it difficult to make a lasting impression with the Delhi Capitals in both domestic and IPL cricket. In retrospect, he feels that such detours and losses taught him valuable lessons that he would not have learnt if success had arrived quickly.
“After playing under 19, I was given an opportunity. Because [for some players the trajectory is straight while for others they experience everything], it was quite up and down. I therefore believed that I needed to experience everything. Because I wouldn’t have learnt everything if I had come straight in as a player. I definitely had more time to work than usual, though. While many gamers don’t get that, I did.
“I think this is just the beginning of our team and there is a lot more to come,” added Abhishek Sharma.
This outlook has persisted until the present, and he attributes this to Suryakumar’s leadership. Abhishek claimed that he was particularly impressed by how little the leader’s attitude altered based on the number of runs scored.
“Even after I joined the team, he still laughs and speaks to everyone in such manner, even when he gets a perfect score. He leads everyone together, even if he leaves early. This, in my opinion, is his highest quality that I have ever seen. Because you constantly going up and down, especially in T20, I also want to learn this. However, you must strike a balance, figure out how to stick with the squad, and enjoy every moment.
India
