On February 25 in 2017, both Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma got their senior cricket journey underway when they made their List A debut for Punjab in the Vijay Hazare Trophy vs Vidarbha in Delhi. A few months later, they would go on to make their First Class debut and both got their first taste of T20 cricket directly in the 2018 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Before the IPL debut, they tasted U-19 high with the 2018 World Cup title but their journeys, which at one point looked set to reach the destination – the Indian cricket team – together, took different turns. Gill emerged as the next big thing in Indian cricket in the next few years while Abhishek slogged it out in the domestic circuit for Punjab. There were runs and wickets for Abhishek but a consistent show eluded him and never allowed the step-up that his close friend had taken a few seasons ago.
Shubman Gill Captain; Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, 3 Others Receive Maiden T20I Call-ups
The step-up finally happened in IPL 2024 where his ruthless batting – 484 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 204.22 – at the top of the order made him the toast of the nation and didn’t allow the selectors to look the other way. The belligerent left-hander, who is a very shrewd bowler too, earned his maiden call-up for the upcoming five-T20I series vs Zimbabwe and it was a proud moment for his father Raj Kumar.
“It’s a great feeling that Abhishek has been selected for the Indian team. His hard work has finally paid off. We thank god for giving blessings to our kid. I just want him to play well for India,” says Raj who has worked very hard with Abhishek right from his formative years.
Abhishek’s father’s quick shift of focus to Gill didn’t come as a surprise as he would have seen the two spend countless hours together right from their age-group days and was very happy to see the “childhood friends” part of the Indian team.
Abhishek Sharma Gets to Know About India Call-up in Middle of a T20 Game: ‘Saw it on the Big Screen’
“I also congratulate Shubman for getting the captaincy. They both are childhood friends and I wish him luck for the upcoming series. I just want them all to go and win the series against Zimbabwe,” adds Raj.
Abhishek is currently busy with the Sher-e-Punjab T20 Cup and was playing a match when the team was announced. The 23-year-old only came to know about his selection after looking at the giant screen.
The late visit to his old coach
Before the tournament got underway, Abhishek was working on his range hitting in Gurugram. He spends a lot of time playing club-level tournaments in Delhi NCR during his off-season and it was during this period that he paid a visit to former India cricketer Gursharan Singh at his academy. Gursharan coached Abhishek when he was picked for the all-India U-16 camp back in 2015 and spent more time with him during a U-19 camp two years later in Mohali.
It was late in the evening in the first week of June and had already turned very dark, but Abhishek patiently spoke to budding cricketers at Gursharan’s academy and shared the “not out” advice he still gets from his father.
“He was there at my academy. I requested him to give the budding kids some cricket lessons and he guided them really well. He told the kids that my father always say that you have to focus on remaining not out even in the nets. Further, he talked about fitness as well,” says Gursharan.
Gursharan has no doubts about Abhishek’s abilities and feels the all-round game will allow him to dominate in Zimbabwe too. The domestic stalwart, who has had a decorated coaching career after retirement from the game, wants the youngster to be a bit cautious about his shot selection.
“I have no doubts that he would do well but I hope he adjusts well to conditions and dimensions of the ground and picks his shots accordingly,” adds Gursharan.
When asked about the bond Gill and Abhishek share, “do yaar hai (two very close friends),” came the quick typical Punjabi response. He is very happy the way Gill led Gujarat Titans in his debut stint as a captain and feels it’s just the start of bigger and better things for the youngster.
As far as the do yaar are concerned, Zimbabwe will be about living the moments they would have together dreamt.
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