'Not just female attention, I've also received lot of attention from males' - Abhishek Sharma opens up on his growing popularity

Talented Punjab all-rounder Abhishek Sharma has been in exceptional form in 2024. He had a breakthrough season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Sunrisers Hyderabad earlier this year. He got rewarded for his stellar show as he received a maiden call-up to the Indian team for the recently concluded T20I tour of Zimbabwe. Abhishek scored a duck on his debut but bounced back with a sparkling century in his second game.

In a recent interview, Abhishek spoke about the attention he has been getting from female as well as male fans. The southpaw said that the love he gets from the fans works as a source of motivation for him.

"It's not just female attention, I've also received a lot of attention from males. It felt really good. These moments are those which give motivation to any cricketer or celebrity. I also got such attention from them and received good luck and congratulatory messages," Abhishek said while speaking on the YouTube channel 'Second Innings with Manjot Kalra'.

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Abhishek amassed 484 runs from 14 games at a strike rate of 204.22 for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024 and helped the Orange Army reach the finals. The 23-year-old said that skipper Pat Cummins gave the players complete freedom during the 17th edition of the cash-rich league.

"He had come after winning the World Cup for Australia. The aura of Pat Cummins was very evident within the team. He would talk to everyone, asking the new players about their families and such things. He gave everyone complete freedom," Abhishek stated.

'There was never a moment where we thought that a particular bowling was troubling us' - Abhishek Sharma on batting with Travis Head

Abhishek formed one of the most formidable opening pairs in IPL 2024 along with Travis Head. They put some of the finest bowlers in world cricket to the sword with their remarkable range of power-hitting. Abhishek revealed that they never felt any bowler was troubling them during the season.

"My plan was clear, I would my bowlers freely. I knew that Travis Head also plays with a similar approach as I had followed him for a long time. But I did not know that if I was hitting, he would also hit. We adapted very quickly and there was never a moment where we thought that a particular bowling was troubling us," Abhishek said.

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Unfortunately, the Amritsar-born couldn't hold onto his place in India's T20I squad for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. However, people who have seen him bat will know that he has all the necessary ingredients to have a long career for the Men in Blue.