Commentator and former Bengal wicketkeeper-batter Shreevats Goswami, who shared the dressing room with batter Abhishek Sharma during his stint at SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) from 2018-21, jokingly stated that his only advice to Abhishek was to keep his room clean.
"If you go to his room, it's always dark, cold and unclean. It's very dirty with clothes lying everywhere. I also urged him to wake up on time," said Shreevats, during an exclusive interaction with TOI.
"However, to his credit, he was always very passionate about cricket and would urge the coaching staff to give him an opportunity as an opener. Abhishek is fearless and absolutely brutal with his gameplay. The same is being reflected in his performances, as visible in the fifth T20I against England where he scored a ton," added the former wicketkeeper-batter.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. !While Abhishek's big-hitting has dominated the limelight, the cricketer's bowling has also emerged as an additional asset in his arsenal. Abhishek previously revealed that Yuvraj Singh has always said that the left-arm spinner could become a better bowler than him.
"A lot of credit for Abhishek's growth as a bowler goes to SRH's spin bowling coach Muttiah Muralitharan, who used to convince him to bowl more overs in the nets after batting. The SRH team management asked Abhishek to bowl in domestic cricket, helping him fine-tune his skills," stated Shreevats.
Another cricketer who has witnessed Abhishek's journey is all-rounder Jagadeesha Suchith, who shared the dressing room with the cricketer for SRH in IPL 2021.
"Abhishek discussed his inability to clear the boundary line easily in the later stages of the match. He was also down on confidence being in and out of the team. I told Abhishek what Sachin Tendulkar had told me, 'Keep working hard and things will change overnight'," he stated.
"In the IPL, you have to perform in each match. I urged him to follow the process and just focus on delivering his best. Your preparation and plans will help you in difficult times. One of the most high-pressure situations I've experienced was back in IPL 2015 when I had to bowl to Shane Watson in the powerplay while representing MI. Watson was at his peak. Working on my skill-levels helped me handle the pressure in a better manner," shared Suchith.
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