Abhishek Sharma’s assault on Shaheen Afridi wasn’t luck! Father scripted it a decade ago

The 25-year-old India National Cricket Team opening batsman Abhishek Sharma destroyed the premier Pakistan National Cricket Team pacer Shaheen Afridi in the Asia Cup 2025.

However, Abhishek Sharma’s brutal assault on Shaheen Afridi wasn’t luck; instead, it was something that the left-handed batter's father prepared him for a decade ago.

Abhishek Sharma tore apart the Pakistan bowling unit

The No. 1-ranked batsman in the ICC Men's T20I Batting Rankings, Abhishek Sharma, has showcased his dominance with the bat in the ongoing edition of the Asia Cup.

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He has played a couple of explosive knocks at the top to make the games one-sided and put the opposition teams under tremendous pressure.

In India's tournament opener against the UAE, he scored a quickfire 30 runs, and against Pakistan, he blasted 31 runs. Abhishek Sharma started the assault in both matches on the very first ball he faced in the innings.

Against the UAE, he hit a six, and in the Pakistan clash, he slammed a four. Abhishek Sharma's explosive batting against the Men In Green was an amazing one to see, as on the first ball, he danced down the track to smash the premier pacer Shaheen Afridi straight down the ground for a four.

Shaheen Afridi is known for producing wickets in the first overs with his deadly full-length deliveries, and Abhishek was well aware of it; hence, he charged down the track to make the delivery a full toss and hit a boundary.

I made him face bowlers who bowled at 150 kmph during his Under-16 days - Abhishek Sharma's father

Abhishek Sharma decimating a bowler, who bowls at 150 kmph, is not a new thing, as his father, Raj Kumar Sharma, had prepared him for it during the Under-16 days.

"When I used to train Abhishek, I made him face bowlers who bowled at 150 kmph during his Under-16 days. I trained him in such a way that all the kids used to say, 'isko lag na jaaye' (he might get hurt). I used to ask him, 'will you be able to play?' he said, 'Papa issey bhi tez karwao (Dad, make him bowl quicker, I'll play that as well),' Raj Kumar said in a video posted by the BCCI.

"When I took him to the ground, all the senior players used to say, 'Your son has a lot of talent; he will play for India one day.' All their blessings and love have brought him here. Let me also tell you, in the time to come, Abhishek will win a lot more matches for India, with the ball, not just bat," Sharma Senior mentioned.

In the future, he will bowl well for India - Raj Kumar

Not just with the bat, Abhishek Sharma also possesses the ability to make stunning contributions with his left-arm spin-bowling, and he was even utilised by Suryakumar Yadav in the match against Pakistan.

Raj Kumar Sharma is quite confident of his son's bowling abilities, and he said that the 25-year-old would become a match-winner for India with the ball. He said:

"I will tell you about his bowling. I'm a left-arm spinner and I have played a lot of first-class cricket for India.

"I used to make him bowl a lot. I used to give him tips, used to see his style and make him to everything. Because of that, he has become a very good bowler. In the future, he will bowl well for India."

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