“Even if you get out for 15 ducks…” - Abhishek Sharma reveals Suryakumar’s inspirational words during the initial stage of his international career

Indian dashing opening batter Abhishek Sharma has revealed the Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav’s inspirational words during the initial phase of his international career, when he failed to create an impact against Bangladesh in his second series.

While Sharma made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe, scoring a century in his second T20I, he couldn't live up to expectations against Bangladesh, scoring only 35 runs in three innings in October 2024.

While speaking exclusively on the Breakfast With Champions, Abhishek recalled the motivational words from the Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who boosted his confidence to attain consistency and changed his mindset. 

“When I got selected in the Indian team, I got out early in 3-4 innings in the series against Bangladesh. He told me, ‘You’re such an important player for me that even if you get out for 15 ducks, you will still play the next game. I can give it to you in writing,’” Abhishek recalled while speaking in the Breakfast With Champions episode. 

“It was such a big deal that the captain was saying this. One thing became very clear to me — that if I want to do well and make a name for myself, I have to do something different,” he added.

“For far too long, I curbed my natural instincts. That was striking the ball for me. I felt I was stopping myself because of the pressure of playing a long game. I completely removed that from my head. Even if I lose my wicket early, I will back myself throughout the season,” he noted.

For the unversed, Sharma ended the Asia Cup 2025 campaign as the player of the tournament, emerging as the leading run-scorer, with 314 runs from seven innings at an average of 44.86.

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