TimesofIndia.com in Dubai: India opener Abhishek Sharma credited head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav for backing him through the highs and lows of his early international career, saying their constant support allowed him to play fearless cricket in the Asia Cup 2025.Abhishek finished the tournament as the leading run-getter and won the Player of the Tournament award. He amassed 314 runs in seven innings with an explosive strike rate of 200. It was his six-hitting prowess that caught everyone’s attention. The southpaw smoked 19 sixes in the tournament, the most by any batter. India lifted the Asia Cup with a five-wicket win over Pakistan in the final, but the celebrations were tinged with controversy after the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) failed to present the champions with a trophy. Abhishek, however, brushed off the disappointment with a cheeky remark. “Obviously everyone has a plan to win a trophy. And we actually got one — Surya bhai brought it! We felt it, we knew its weight. The smiles in the dressing room and the atmosphere after the win matter more than anything else,” Abhishek said with a grin. Reflecting on his role in the tournament, Abhishek underlined the influence of Gambhir and Suryakumar in helping him develop the confidence to take risks at the top of the order. “I feel Surya bhai and Gautam sir have given me immense confidence. When you play with high risk, there will be failures. But the way they handled me, the way they spoke to me at that time — because of that, I am able to play this way. It is very important to have that kind of support,” he said. The 25-year-old was also full of praise for Suryakumar’s leadership during a challenging campaign. “I wanted to talk about Surya bhai first. As a batter, when you’re not scoring runs, it’s very difficult. But as captain, he never let it show. Whether he scored a hundred or got out early, he was always smiling, always leading from the front. That’s the best quality I’ve seen in him, and I want to learn that balance,” Abhishek noted. Looking back at his own journey, Abhishek said his rise has been full of ups and downs but insisted this was just the beginning. “I have done a lot of work on my game. To come into this team, I had to push myself harder. I think this is just the start for us as a group. There is a lot more to come — miracles will happen,” he said.
