'Abhishek Sharma eager to play Test cricket': Brian Lara
What's the story
Brian Lara, the legendary West Indies cricketer and former head coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), has revealed that India's T20I sensation Abhishek Sharma is keen on making his way into the national Test squad. The revelation comes after Abhishek's stellar performance in the 2025 T20 Asia Cup and his growing reputation as one of the most destructive openers in white-ball cricket. Notably, Abhishek has a strike rate of 196.07 in T20I cricket.
Lara's endorsement
Lara lauds Abhishek's talent, credits Yuvraj Singh
Lara, who has closely observed Abhishek during their time at SRH, praised the young cricketer's talent and determination. Speaking during the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards in Mumbai on Tuesday, Lara said, "He's an amazing young player. They had a lot of great young players in that squad that I was with, not just Abhishek. But I think he's something very special." The West Indies legend also credited Yuvraj Singh for influencing Abhishek's batting style.
Recent form
Abhishek's stellar run in Asia Cup 2025
Abhishek was India's leading run-scorer in the 2025 Asia Cup. He hammered 314 runs from seven games at a staggering strike rate of 200.00. The left-handed batter hammered 3 half-centuries and a whopping 19 sixes in the UAE. Abhishek now has the most runs for a batter in a T20 Asia Cup edition. He also has the second-most runs for India in a T20I series/tournament.
Test aspirations
Ambition of an all-format player
Despite his success in T20 and 50-over formats, Abhishek is still keen on breaking into the Indian Test team. Lara said, "What's an amazing thing, you know, he would give me a call and even though with the success that he's having in T20 cricket ... he still wants to find a way to get into the test team." Notably, Abhishek has 1,071 runs from 24 First-Class matches at 30.60. He owns a ton and 5 half-centuries.
Information
Top-ranked batter in T20Is
Abhishek recently achieved the highest-ever rating in the ICC Men's T20I Batter Rankings. His stellar performance during India's semi-final win over Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup helped him reach a remarkable rating of 931 points, surpassing Dawid Malan's previous best of 919 points.
Connection
The Lara-Abhishek connection
Abhishek's recent T20I exploits came after he was backed by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League. He has been with the Orange Army since the 2019 edition. His breakout season came last year when he hammered 484 runs at a strike rate of 204.21. His opening partnership with Travis Head led to many uncanny records. Notably, Lara was in SRH's coaching contingent between 2022 and 2023.