In Pics: Meet 24-year-old Indian cricketer Abhishek Sharma, who can give Bollywood actors a run for their money
Once known purely for his skill with the bat, the 24-year-old now finds himself in the rare bracket of sporting celebrities who can give Bollywood's finest a run for their money. With record-breaking knocks, cheeky on-field comebacks, and a social media game on point, Abhishek is quickly becoming the face of India's next generation of sports icons.
Abhishek Sharma: How he became SRH's powerhouse
Abhishek Sharma's cricket journey began in Amritsar, where his father, a coach himself, trained him. He dominated the Vijay Merchant Under-16 tournament in 2015-16 with 1200 runs, then captained India to a U-19 Asia Cup win. IPL scouts took notice, and in 2018, the Delhi Daredevils signed him a week before India's U-19 World Cup victory.
He debuted with a bang—46 off 19 balls—but it was with Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he moved in 2019, that he truly took flight. In IPL 2024, promoted as opener by Pat Cummins, he smashed 484 runs, including a record-breaking 63 off 23 in a 277-run team total.
The fireworks continued in IPL 2025, where his 141 off 55 against Punjab Kings became the third-highest individual score in IPL history. He has since made a successful transition to the international stage, scoring a T20I century on debut against Zimbabwe.
Charisma beyond the cricket
Abhishek Sharma isn't just batting averages and blistering knocks, he's a bona fide heartthrob, with a popularity that rivals that of movie stars. With multiple charming (and now viral) Instagram posts, the All-rounder often has fangirls flooding the comments with heart emojis and love.
According to OneCricket, even male fans can't get enough—cheering his every move on and off the pitch. That charm has also sparked dating rumors with fashion designer Laila Faisal, adding more spice to the stardom.
His mock reply to Divesh Rathi's 'notebook sendoff' had social media crowning the move the 'coldest replies of the season,' per India Times. At 24, Abhishek Sharma is not just rewriting T20 records; he's rewriting what it means to be a cricket superstar.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
AIFF keen on 10-year approval to run ISL, undecided on relegation
The ISL, which began with eight teams in 2014, was accorded the top league status in 2019 when a roadmap was agreed by all stakeholders Panaji: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) wants to continue with the Indian Super League (ISL) as the country's top-tier league for the next 10 years but has called for discussions on 'matters of promotion and relegation.' The ISL began as an eight-team, two-month, IPL-style tournament in 2014, but was accorded the top league status in 2019 when a roadmap was agreed by all stakeholders. According to the roadmap, promotion was started from the 2022-23 season with the I-League winners -- Punjab FC first and Mohammedan Sporting Club later – qualifying on sporting merit. The organisers have not implemented relegation. In its official proposal to the marketing partners, AIFF has told FSDL, a joint venture between Reliance and Star which runs the top league, they are ready to issue a '10-year sanction to run ISL with a clear calendar window' and provide 'full commercial freedom' to run the league. 'Matter of promotions and relegations from ISL may be discussed, the principles and impact on AFC Roadmap for Indian football may be considered,' states the proposal titled 'Indian Football Landscape', AIFF Vision for the ISL 2026-2035. TOI has a copy of the proposal which also allows the ISL champions to take the top spot in Asian competitions, while the second spot will be reserved for the I-League winners, a change from the existing system that allows the Super Cup champions to represent the country in continental competitions. For the new Master Rights Agreement (MRA) – where AIFF retains all non-ISL rights including national team competitions -- the federation wants the marketing partners or league owners to make an annual solidarity payments to AIFF game development fund of Rs. 50 crore or 10% of the total league revenue in 2026, whichever is higher, with 5% annual increment. According to minutes of the MRA task force meeting, AIFF wants a 'reliable source of revenue to ensure the effective development of youth and grassroots football, as well as the smooth organisation of competitions across the country.' The proposal has not found favour with the marketing partners, who have suggested formation of a new holding company with clubs (60%), FSDL (26%) and AIFF (14%) as the shareholders. 'In the current system, stakeholders lose approximately Rs 500 crore annually and it makes no sense to continue losing big money,' a source who has been tracking the developments told TOI. 'Business as usual will not be sustainable for anyone. It will only put higher demands on sponsors and there won't be return on investment.' Despite the logjam, AIFF remains confident that it can find a solution to the impasse at a time when the country's top-tier league has been kept on hold due to uncertainty over the 15-year MRA which ends on Dec 8. 'The AIFF cannot act right now because the Supreme Court made an observation (on April 26) that the renewal of the Master Rights Agreement should not be done until its order. We are now waiting the SC order, so that the path becomes clear,' said a senior official. AIFF officials said they have been in touch with their marketing partners since Sept 19 last year, when the then secretary general P Anilkumar first sought a meeting with FSDL. In another letter dated Nov 21, the secretary said 'AIFF would like to engage in a constructive dialogue to explore possibilities for extending or renewing the partnership under mutually beneficial terms and help foster a new era of football development, marketing and popularity of the game in India. ' Since then, three meetings have been held this year between high-ranking AIFF and FSDL officials in Delhi and Mumbai.
Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Indian Express
Koneru Humpy, Divya Deshmukh and Co causing the latest tremors of Indian earthquake in chess at FIDE Women's World Cup
Vaishali Rameshbabu was teetering on the brink of elimination. Twice in two games. Having battled out draws in both of her classical games in the FIDE World Cup Round 3 clash against USA's Carissa Yip — an International Master, but among the top up and coming stars in the sport — Vaishali salvaged two draws from losing positions in two rapid games of the tiebreak. The Netflix crew that has followed Yip to the Georgian city of Batumi were getting some decent drama on camera. Then, out of nowhere, Vaishali sent Yip home with two wins in two games. 'In both the games with 15+10 time controls, I was completely lost. Especially in the first one where I was two or three pawns down. But I just kept playing,' Vaishali told FIDE's YouTube channel in an interview after that heady victory over Yip. The ongoing FIDE Women's World Cup in Batumi has seen an incredible show of strength from the Indian contingent, four of whom are currently still contending in the pre-quarterfinals. The only other country that has as many competitors as India in the last-16 is China, which has been a bonafide powerhouse when it comes to women's chess, with six women from the country ascending to the women's world champion's throne in the past. Joining Vaishali in the last-16 are the veterans Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli while IM Divya Deshmukh is a flagbearer of the young brigade. Another young IM, Vantika Agrawal, ran into the formidable Kateryna Lagno and held the Russian star to a tied score after five games, before her resistance finally crumbled in the sixth battle. Lagno, a former World Rapid and Blitz champion, was not the only top star made to huff and puff by the 23-year-old Indian, who is ranked no 63 in the world. In the previous round, Vantika sent home a former women's world champion, Anna Ushenina, after eight battles across varied time controls. For Vantika, the current FIDE World Cup could help in the same way the last World Cup experience helped Divya. The Nagpur girl admitted that playing at the previous World Cup was very important for her as it had given her a glimpse of what top-level chess looks like. 'It's very stressful, but I wouldn't be anywhere else,' said Divya with a grin. Divya will be one half of an exciting India vs China battle at Batumi when she takes on world no 6 Zhu Jiner. For the 19-year-old — who had to negotiate hard with her mind to play for a draw and not go on the offensive to chase a win in a previous game — this will be a mettle detector. It'll also be a battle of the sport's next gen. For the last few years, the world has experienced tremors of an Indian earthquake in the sport of chess with the golden generation of Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi shaking up the world order. This ongoing World Cup at Batumi could just be a showcase for the Indian women to demonstrate their heft on the board as well. They did give a glimpse of it at last year's Chess Olympiad in Budapest where not only did the Indian women's team won a gold but there were two individual gold medals as well for Divya and Vantika. But in the aftermath of that heady Budapest night, the men started to grab headlines, with Gukesh becoming world champion, Arjun crossing 2800 rating threshold and then Pragg turning into a serial winner this year. Women's chess is currently dominated by China. Since 2017, the world has had a Chinese woman being the women's world champion. The FIDE rankings too reflect this with Hou Yifan, world champion Ju Wenjun and Lei Tingjie sitting in the top 3 rankings spots. With Zhu Jiner at No 6 and Tan Zhongyi the world no 8, five of the top 8 women in the world are currently Chinese. In contrast, there's just one Indian — Humpy — in the top 10. But just outside the top 10, are three Indians — Harika, Vaishali and Divya — readying for an assault on the top 10 club. The World Cup offers the top three finishers a spot at next year's Women's Candidates tournament, which is the final step towards challenging the reigning women's world champion. Last year's Candidates had two women from India — Humpy and Vaishali — making the cut. With 16 players left standing at Batumi, there is another race afoot. Amit Kamath is Assistant Editor at The Indian Express and is based in Mumbai. ... Read More
Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Indian Express
India vs England ODI series: Harmanpreet Kaur relishing good headache in important series for World Cup prep
After a confidence-boosting T20I series win, the real test is here for Harmanpreet Kaur's side as they take on England in three crucial ODIs in the lead-up to the World Cup which is just over two months away. With only three matches left on their schedule – at home against Australia in September just before the marquee home tournament – this series is pretty much the last opportunity for the Indian management to nail down their combinations. And Harmanpreet sees it as a 'good headache' to have after a while, with quite a few players enjoying a good run of form. For starters, Pratika Rawal is expected to slot right back into the XI after not being part of the T20I squad. The Delhi opener has struck a dream combination with Smriti Mandhana at the top of the order. In 11 matches together, they have scored 968 runs for the opening partnership at an average of 88, with four 100-run stands. It is already in the top 10 for partnerships total for India in women's ODIs, and better than Mandhana and Shafali Verma's tally of 893 runs in 25 matches. With head coach Amol Muzumdar saying Shafali is also still in the mix for the World Cup, after her good run in the T20I series, Pratika will have the chance to remind why she deserves to keep her spot in the top order. The captain also had plenty of praise for her two left-arm spinners Sree Charani and Radha Yadav, the rookie and the returning veteran. While Charani has risen to the ranks quickly in both white-ball formats, Radha's bowling and fielding during the T20Is augurs well too, after being drafted into the squad in place of the injured Shuchi Upadhyay. 'Everything is quite settled and everybody knows their roles, what they're going to do and (understand about) their positions. A lot of clarity is there compared to what we had previously,' Harmanpreet said in the pre-series press conference. 'After a long time, it's a (good) headache that everyone is doing well and we are getting an option to choose the best team. Before this, we didn't have so many options. (The) credit goes to Pratika (Rawal) and Shafali (Verma), the kind of performances they are coming up with. Harleen, too, whenever she has gotten the opportunity, has shown that she can be good for the team and bat responsibly.' For Pratika, a first international series away from the subcontinent will be the biggest challenge of her brief career. And she has been in England for over a week now to get accilmatised. 'I came on July 6, and I had my first net session in Manchester, when I was batting there, I sensed that the ball was skidding,' Pratika told 'Also, the bounce was a bit more as compared to the Indian wickets. So, I was able to assess in which areas I could place the ball and score runs accordingly. Also, back home, I was practising on astro (turf) wickets so that I could get used to the bounce. I have had a lot of conversations with Harman di, Smriti di, and Amol sir, to understand conditions better, and strategically which areas I can play according to my strengths so that I can counter the English pace bowlers.' From the squad that won the Tri-Series in Sri Lanka recently, India are likely to retain a majority of the XI as Harmanpreet hinted at retaining a four-pronged spin attack that worked in the T20Is too and possibly a toss-up between Arundhati Reddy and Kranti Goud for the second seamer spot alongside the impressive Amanjot Kaur. Whoever does make the cut for the playing XI in these three matches will be auditioning for their spots in the World Cup squad, adding heft to what should be a hard-fought series between two of the top three teams in the world. India's ODI Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Yastika Bhatia (WK), Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Goud, Sayali Satghare, Radha Yadav Fixtures: 1st ODI: Southampton (The Rose Bowl), 5.30 pm, July 16; 2nd ODI: London (Lord's), 3.30 pm IST, July 19; 3rd ODI: Chester-le-Street (Riverside Ground), 5.30 pm IST, July 22. Vinayakk Mohanarangan is Senior Assistant Editor and is based in New Delhi. ... Read More
