Amritsar lad Abhishek Sharma gets BCCI call for Zimbabwe T20 tour

Neeraj Bagga

Amritsar, June 25

After the announcement by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about the selection of local lad Abhishek Sharma for the upcoming Zimbabwe tour, a wave of joy has set in among cricket fans of the holy city.

Of late, he had been hogging the limelight with his power-packed batting skills. He will make his Team India debut under the captaincy of Mohali’s Shubhman Gill, who will lead the team for the first time in his career, in the five T20 international tour of Zimbabwe.

Abhishek’s father Rajkumar Sharma, a cricket coach and bank employee, said his entire family was extremely happy and they have been receiving congratulatory calls from friends and relatives since the BCCI made the announcement. Others in the family of the young all-rounder are also elated as his constant efforts have delivered the cherished results.

Himself a cricket coach, he said Abhishek had studied at Delhi Public School and attended DAV College. He recalled that his son was equally brilliant at studies. He thanked the teachers and coaches for guiding his son and shaping his life.

Considered a hard-hitting lower-order batsman who also chips in as a left-arm spinner, he guided India to victory in the U-19 Asia Cup in 2016 and has a World Cup to his name as an U-19 cricketer. As a young cricket star, he was part of the Indian squad for the ICC World Cup.

He came to limelight with a century while making his U-19 debut for Punjab in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy. He had already shared his dream with the media — to make it to the senior squad — for which he has been taking giant strides.

He was trained by his childhood idol Yuvraj Singh whom he saw batting on screen while growing up and adored his style. Earlier in 2022, he was picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad at a record price of Rs 6.50 crore.

Amritsar Games Association president and Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori congratulated Abhishek for the achievement. He said it was a matter of pride that a local youngster and a player of the Amritsar Games Association (AGA), got a place in world cricket. He expressed the hope that Abhishek would bring fame to the district and Punjab with his performance.

Inderjit Singh Bajwa, Secretary, Amritsar Games Association, said Abhishek has been a talented player and like other players, “we never let him lack in good environment, playground and other facilities”.