Abhishek Sharma had the time of his life in the Asia Cup 2025 edition as the left-hander from Punjab scored 314 runs in the seven matches he played, finishing as the leading run-scorer. Barring the final against Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, Abhishek scored 30+ in all six of the other games, giving India rollicking starts inside the powerplay. Hence, it’s no surprise that he was adjudged the Player of the Tournament after India’s five-wicket win in the summit clash. It was there that the 25-year-old fired a parting shot at premium pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi.
It must be stated that Abhishek and Shaheen were involved in a verbal duel in the Super 4s match earlier in the Asia Cup 2025 tournament. After hitting a six off the first ball, the left-hander asked the left-armer to go back to the mark and bowl. Shaheen then followed it up by charging toward the batter in his bowling stride.
In the final, Abhishek did hit a four off Shaheen’s opening over; however, he lost his wicket to Faheem Ashraf. At the post-match presentation, Abhishek was candid enough to talk about his approach, saying he does not play according to the reputation of a bowler as his aim is to get the team off to a good start.
“If you see, I had a plan. If I get spinners or something in the powerplay as well, I am going to utilise that powerplay. If you see any of the bowlers, even the fast bowlers, or any of the premium fast bowlers as well,” Abhishek told former New Zealand pacer Shaheen Afridi during the post-match presentation.
“If they come, so I had a plan in my mind that I want to go from the first ball, no matter who the bowler is,” he added. As soon as Abhishek said, “premium fast bowler,” a smile came on Abhishek’s face, and the entire crowd started cheering and applauding.
The rivalry between Shaheen and Abhishek dates back to the U19 World Cup in 2018, as the duo played for Pakistan and India. In the semi-final, Shaheen was involved in a war of words with both the left-hander and Shubman Gill.
Abhishek awarded a car
As Abhishek was awarded the Player of the Tournament accolade, he was also awarded a car, and the youngster was pleased with the gift he received in Dubai.
“Getting a car is always a pleasure,” said Abhishek.
Abhishek made his way into the T20I playing XI on the back of a strong Indian Premier League (IPL) for SunRisers Hyderabad in 2024. He got his chance after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired from T20Is, and steadily, he has cemented his place in the lineup.
“Getting into this team after winning the World Cup wasn’t easy for any opener. But if you see, we had a plan that we wanted to play a game, and we had to show intent from the first ball. So that was my plan, I worked really hard on that. And if you’re playing like this, you need special support from your coach and captain. I think that was the one thing I was getting from them throughout the tournament, before this as well,” said Abhishek.
“My plan was pretty much clear that, if I do well, if I get that impact, and it’s for my team, my team should win. If you want to play something like this, sometimes you will fail, but you have to keep the process going,” he added.