Abhishek Sharma Wants India to Turn Recent Success Into Winning Habit
New Delhi — Abhishek Sharma says India’s young cricket team must look beyond its recent success and focus on turning winning into a habit as it begins the new home season against the West Indies.
Fresh from being part of India’s Asian Games gold medal-winning campaign, the opener said sustained success will depend on maintaining the same processes, hunger and team-first approach that helped India win the World Cup.
“I feel, in cricket especially, when I came, I was 24, now I am 26, as a young cricketer, you tell yourself that there’s still a lot to achieve, it’s just a start. Doing it once, I feel, is still easy, but making that thing a habit and doing it again and again, keeping the process the same, it’s not easy as a player,” Abhishek told JioStar.
“But if the atmosphere in the team is such that everyone wants to perform for each other, wants to make India win, wants to dominate, then I feel it becomes a habit and it definitely helps,” he added.
For Abhishek, the focus is less on celebrating what the team has already achieved and more on creating an environment where success can be repeated consistently.
The 26-year-old said a shared desire to win can help India maintain its intensity from one tournament to the next.
That philosophy also shapes his approach toward younger players in the squad, including 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who has emerged as one of India’s promising young batters.
Abhishek said Sooryavanshi has already spent enough time around professional cricket to understand many of its demands, while senior players are making an effort to help him feel comfortable.
“He is a very smart guy. He is not like how we used to behave at 15 or anyone does because he has already been in that cricket setup for 2-3 years,” Abhishek said.
“So he knows what, where, and how much to practice. I feel gradually these are things he will learn more with experience. And what we discuss in the team with each other, all teammates, is how we can make him more comfortable.”
Abhishek said the team wants Sooryavanshi to know he belongs at the international level and has the support of the more experienced players around him.
“Because we all know what he has achieved and that he belongs here. So I also feel like it’s my duty as well, to make him feel that all of us, his elder brothers, are here for him. You just have to enjoy and just give your best and win the games whenever you get the chance,” he said.
The West Indies series will give India its first opportunity of the new home season to build on its recent success and continue developing a consistent winning culture. (Source: IANS)
