Abhishek Sharma’s grind: 4 am starts, endless practice, and lessons from a legend
Abhishek Sharma’s grind: 4 am starts, endless practice, and lessons from a legend
Abhishek Sharma gears up for his first international match at home against South Africa in Mullanpur. Abhishek stands out in this rare mix of fearless aggression and a sharp cricketing brain.
Abhishek Sharma is set to play his first international match at home when India take on South Africa in the second T20I in Mullanpur on Thursday. Those who have seen him grow believe his rise is no surprise. Behind his big sixes and confident style are years of hard training that started long before he wore the India jersey training that began before sunrise and lasted all day.
His father and childhood coach, Rajkumar Sharma, says Abhishek lived like a professional even as a teenager. “His days started at 4 am,” Rajkumar told The Indian Express. “From gym and running to swimming and exercise he did everything to keep improving.”
Once the fitness work was done, Abhishek only wanted to bat. Ground staff in Mohali still remember him as the boy who kept sending balls into the stands during practice. Even at 11 or 12, he was hitting sixes with ease, something Punjab junior coach Arun Bedi still finds remarkable.
“Abhishek was hitting lofted sixes at an age when most boys were just learning to connect with the ball. It showed how talented he was,” Bedi said.
Bedi and fellow junior coach DP Azad who once coached Kapil Dev spotted Abhishek and his friend Shubman Gill at a U-14 camp in Mohali. They predicted both would play for India. Gill’s rise was quicker, while Abhishek’s journey took more time, but his father says the belief in him never faded.
Scared of Yuvraj Singh's scolding
Some of cricket’s biggest names have guided Abhishek Sharma’s journey. In the India setup, he learned from VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid. In the IPL, Ricky Ponting and Brian Lara played a role. But the most important influence has been Yuvraj Singh, who started training with him during the lockdown.
Yuvraj’s guidance comes with strict discipline. “Even now, if he feels Abhishek has made a mistake, he calls and scolds him,” said Rajkumar Sharma, Abhishek’s father. “And Abhishek is still a little scared of him,” he added with a laugh.
Abhishek has also taken up golf, encouraged by Lara and Yuvraj. For him, it’s not just a hobby but a way to improve his batting rhythm. “It has made his bat swing smoother and cleaner,” Rajkumar explained.
From hitting sixes as a schoolboy to scoring more than 1000 T20 international runs in just 30 matches, Abhishek’s fearless batting remains his trademark. As he returns to play in Punjab, this time in India colours, he carries not only the hopes of fans but also the support of those who shaped him a father who trained with him before dawn, coaches who spotted his talent early, and a legend who still calls to correct him when needed.