Abhishek Sharma reacts to maiden Indian team call-up

Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab opener Abhishek Sharma earned a maiden call-up to the Indian team when he was named in the 15-member Indian squad for the tour of Zimbabwe. The young team will be led by Shubman Gill and the team will play five T20Is at the Harare Sports Club in Harare.

Abhishek was included in the team after his recent exploits in the Indian Premier League, where he, along with Travis Head, formed a lethal opening combination for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

He scored 484 runs with three half-centuries, which also included a record-breaking 16-ball half-century.

Abhishek, who is leading the Agri Kings Knights in the Sher-e-Punjab T20 trophy, said it was a dream come true and that this is just the start. “It’s a dream come true for all the players who have been called up to the Indian team. I’m very happy. The ultimate goal is obviously to represent the country, and when I go back to my hard work and check all the routines I’ve followed, finally it’s my name there. So I am very happy and I think it’s just the start for me because the goal is obviously more than that. But I'm really grateful,” Abhishek told Sher-ePunjab tournament’s official broadcaster, FanCode.

The southpaw saw the news when the big screen inside the stadium flashed Abhishek’s selection for the Indian team. He added that it was a happy moment to realise his dream of playing for India. “I actually saw it on the big screen; it was there, so I had an idea. Probably as a cricketer, you already know when you’ve been doing a few good performances, but obviously, when you see yourself on the board in the Indian team, it’s always a really great and happy moment,” he added.

In the domestic circuit, Abhishek is a force to reckon with. His team has reached the semifinals of the ongoing Sher-E-Punjab T20 Cup. Playing for Punjab in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the southpaw raked up 485 runs last season and was also awarded the player-of-the-tournament.

India squad for Zimbabwe tour:

Ꮪhubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Nitish Reddy, Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar and Tushar Deshpande.