Hyderabad: In a remarkable disclosure that has rocked the cricketing fraternity, Abhishek Sharma’s father and coach Rajkumar Sharma has disclosed how his son dumped Delhi Capitals to join Sunrisers Hyderabad at this year’s auction due credit for which goes to former India head coach Rahul Dravid.
A burly southpaw who has come through the system, today a terror for bowlers around the world as an opener in T20Is, Abhisekh benefited from Dravid’s foresight and turned him into the player he is now: An IPL star.
On a podcast, Rajkumar told the story of how 17-year-old Abhishek had lit up his Delhi debut in 2018 with an innings of 46 off 19 balls. But his future remained in limbo, confined to three games.
As Delhi pursued Shikhar Dhawan from SRH, tables were turned. And while the SRH mentor VVS Laxman, out for a swap, was homing on Abhishek. “Why him?” Rajkumar recalled being asked. Laxman’s reply? “I don’t know much, but this lad’s a gem – Rahul Dravid ji tells me that he’ll win us matches,” he said.
That hunch paid off handsomely. Abhishek has shone in 74 IPL appearances for SRH since moving there in 2019, striking 1,753 runs at an average of 27.10 with a century and nine half-centuries. His cosmopolitan spirit burns even brighter: 849 T20I runs at 36.91, with two tons and five fifties in 24 games. In the Asia Cup 2025 he was again the leading run-scorer, earning himself the Player of the Series award and taking India to glory.
One of the prime movers in India’s 2018 U-19 World Cup win – where he scored a quarter-final fifty and took 2/11 against Bangladesh, Abhishek’s tale features raw talent and timely support. “In Dravid acknowledging him, what was a spark that promised much in one region became a blaze across the world,” as Rajkumar described.
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