Abhishek Sharma opened up about feeling left behind when Shubman Gill made India first. The two Punjab boys grew up playing cricket together as childhood friends. But Gill’s early success made Sharma question his own abilities for a while.
Sharma struggled with inconsistent performances in the IPL, which delayed his national team debut. He watched his friend Gill shine for India while he waited for chances. Those tough times made him doubt whether he’d ever wear the Indian jersey.
Yuvraj Singh’s Game-Changing Words
Yuvraj Singh met both players for lunch one day and completely changed Sharma’s mindset. The 2011 World Cup hero told Abhishek he wasn’t training him for state cricket.
“At that time, I was, to be very honest, struggling a bit. I wasn’t consistent even in the IPL, and I wasn’t even in the team’s playing eleven. Shubman was already playing for India.
“I used to tell myself that, yeah, I’m a little delayed, I’ve fallen behind—all those ahead of me in the group, I mean, the captain was already there, and I was a performer too, so I was a little late.”
“Then, when Paji called me home, Shubman and I were sitting with Paji, having lunch. Paji directly told me, “I am not preparing you for the state team, I am not preparing you for the IPL, I am not preparing you just to handle things.
“I am preparing you to play for India. You have to win matches for India. Write this down and keep it.” And he said, “Next, next two, three years max,” stated Abhishek.
Those powerful words hit Sharma hard and flipped his thinking around completely that day. Yuvraj’s belief gave him the confidence boost he desperately needed back then. Sharma stopped comparing himself to Gill and focused on his own journey instead.
Turning Self-Doubt Into Success
The conversation with Yuvraj became a turning point in Sharma’s entire cricket career. He started working harder and stopped worrying about when his India call would come. Sharma channelled all his energy into improving every aspect of his game daily.
“I mean, this was from the person I had idolised. If he’s saying this, it means he has so much belief and trust in me. I thought to myself, yeah, this is something. After the camp, I felt that my goal is something else.
“I am being prepared for something bigger—to perform and lead innings for India. And that’s exactly what I will do, and I will achieve it,” Abhishek said.
Asia Cup 2025 Breakthrough Performance
Abhishek Sharma exploded onto the scene during the Asia Cup 2025 with unbelievable batting displays. He smashed 314 runs throughout the tournament with an average of 44.85 overall. His strike rate of 200.00 left bowlers clueless about stopping his aggressive strokeplay.
Sharma won the Player of the Tournament award after breaking multiple records along the way. His consistent performances throughout the Asia Cup 2025 cemented his spot in India’s plans. The journey from self-doubt to tournament star shows what belief can do for talent.
