No.1 T20I batter Abhishek Sharma is yet to make his ODI debut. Abhishek has got chances for India A side but yet to get his maiden ODI call-up, let alone a berth in Test lineup. However, Abhishek’s father and childhood coach, Rajkumar reveals that the young opener talks to legendary West Indies batter Brian Lara for hours over phone, often for hours.
“Abhishek had his initial success in red ball cricket, and that’s what made him shine in white ball cricket. And Lara has also shared how he sees him as an all-format player. Lara speaks for hours with him over the phone, and he instructs him to play with the same style, same dominance, even against the red ball,” Rajkumar told the Indian Express.
Lara impressed but red-ball numbers not promising yet
Lara was Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) head coach in 2023 when Abhishek was yet to make a name for himself. The Punjab opener has just over 1,000 runs in first-class cricket. From 24 games, he has scored 1,071 runs at an average of 30.60 and strike rate of 70.46. He has one century and five fifties to his name in the red-ball format.
Abhishek’s stellar run in SMAT 2025
The 25-year-old amassed 304 runs from six innings in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025. In the group stage, he averaged 50.66 and scored at a rapid rate of 249.18. He scored a century and two fifties. Against Hyderabad, he reached his fifty from just 12 balls, equalling his mentor Yuvraj Singh's feat.
Low score in T20I series opener
In the T20I opener against South Africa, the southpaw scored 17 runs from 12 balls, including two fours and a six. He was dismissed by Proteas pacer Lutho Sipamla. In the second T20I, he will be batting in familiar conditions as it will take place in New Chandigarh’s Mullanpur.
Will Abhishek cross 1,000-run mark in 2025?
In 2025, Abhishek is the third-highest run-scorer among players from full-member nations. From 18 T20Is in 2025, he has scored 773 runs at an average of 45.47 and strike rate of 194.71. Bangladesh's Tanzid Hasan is slightly ahead of him with 773 runs from 18 innings. Zimbabwe's Brian Bennett is on top with 936 runs from 25 innings.