IND vs ZIM 2024: Abhishek Sharma became the nation's hero after scoring a stunning hundred against Zimbabwe in the 2nd T20I at Harare on Sunday. After getting out for a duck on his debut, Abhishek came back strong, smashing the joint third-fastest century by an Indian in T20Is. His 46-ball ton helped India secure a massive 100-run win. The 23-year-old set several records during this match, earning the Player of the Match award after a whirlwind 48 hours, which included receiving his India cap, a debut duck, and a hundred.
After the game, Abhishek made special video calls to his family in India and his mentor, Yuvraj Singh, who is in England captaining the India Champions in the World Championship of Legends League. Yuvraj, a two-time World Cup winner, praised Abhishek: "Very proud! Well done, very proud. You deserve it. Many more to come. This is just the start."
Interestingly, Abhishek shared that Yuvraj was happy about his debut duck. "I spoke to him yesterday as well. I don't know why but he was very happy when I got out for 0. He said, 'That's a good start', but I think he must be feeling very proud now, just like my family. It's all because of him. He has put in a lot of hard work on and off the field," said Abhishek.
The quick turnaround between games helped Abhishek bounce back from his first T20I failure. From the moment he hit a six off the second ball of the Indian innings, he went on a rampage, hitting 8 sixes and 7 fours. Dropped in the seventh over and saved by DRS in the 12th, Abhishek continued his aggressive play, hitting three consecutive sixes to reach his century. This knock reminded everyone of his performances for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, where he scored 484 runs, and his contributions to Punjab's title-winning campaign in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he scored 485 runs.
Abhishek credited his quick recovery to the short gap between games and advice from teammate Ruturaj Gaikwad. "The positive was that we didn't have much time to think about the next game because it was the next day. The moment I felt that there was a bowler I could go after, I tried it. I was in a flow and wanted to express myself. I spoke to Rutu as well. He told me the same thing: 'Go after whatever is in your arc. Don't worry much about balls'," added Abhishek.
