It was a big thing for me – Abhishek Sharma on maiden India call-up

India’s rookie batter Abhishek Sharma said it was a big thing for him after receiving his maiden India call-up. Sharma was named in the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, which is all set to begin on Saturday. The southpaw was able to break into the Indian squad after impressive performances in the Indian Premier League 2024 while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The left-hander scored 484 runs in 16 matches of the tournament at an average of 32.27 and a blistering strike rate of 204.22, which was the best among the top 15 run-getters of the competition. Thus, the southpaw from Punjab played a key role in taking the Orange Army to the final of the lucrative tourney.

Sharma made a potent alliance with Australian batter Travis Head as both left-handers took the opposition to the cleaners in IPL 2024. SRH were able to post totals in excess of 250 and both the batters played a key role in the team’s success.

“Shubman was the first to call me as soon as my name came out. I got a lot of calls and love. It was a big thing for me. When I went home I saw that everyone was already giving interviews! I hadn’t even come into the picture and all my family members were giving interviews (laughs). I think that was one moment I’ll always remember,” Abhishek said in a video released by the BCCI.

The youngster from Punjab said it was his dream to play for India and he is delighted to take one step closer to that dream.

“I just had one dream from Day 1 of professional cricket – I have to play for India. [I knew] the first call-up would be very special. That’s where my journey would start. I knew if I kept working hard, I’d get my chance. But I didn’t know it’ll be in Zimbabwe or outside India,” Abhishek added.

The first T20I between India and Zimbabwe will be played at the Harare Sports Club, Harare on Saturday.

India’s squad for 1st and 2nd T20Is vs Zimbabwe

Shubman Gill (capt), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande, Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Harshit Rana