Irfan Pathan explains how Abhishek Sharma became No. 1 T20I batter

Published - 18 Nov 2025, 14:30 IST | Updated - 18 Nov 2025, 14:56 IST

India's star opener Abhishek Sharma’s jump to the top of the ICC T20I batting rankings has been one of the most inspiring journeys. From a four-year-old boy obsessed with his bat in a small house in Amritsar to becoming the world’s No. 1 T20I batter with a record-breaking 931 rating points, the youngster is currently living his childhood dream.

Pathan shared unheard stories from Abhishek’s childhood and connected these memories to the cricketer's growth across domestic cricket, the IPL, and now international cricket. Over the past year, the southpaw's performances, especially in the Asia Cup 2025 and the Australia series, have made him India’s most crucial T20I player. Pathan began by recalling how Abhishek made his first cricket earnings at the age of 13.

"A 13-year-old boy from Amritsar comes home with his first cricket earnings of INR. 2000. Imagine, at that age, anyone would have bought new shoes, new bat or would have partied with friends.  But this boy takes this money straight to his grandmother," he said on his YouTube channel.

Pathan further spoke about how his grandmother assured Abhishek's father that he would earn a lot of fame in the world as he grew older.

"And tells his grandmother to give him this money. Grandmother always used to tell this boy's father that your son will earn a lot of fame in the world. This boy had a passion for cricket since childhood. He was 4 years old when he got his first bat. And after that, he never let anyone live in peace. Mom, dad, sister, he used to tell everyone all day to bowl to him. And he used to party all day. There was a small temple in the house. And he used to keep all his bats here. In fact, even today, he has become the number one T20 international batsman in the world. But whenever he comes back, he keeps all his bats in this temple. Some things never change," he added.

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From dominating age-group cricket, leading India U19, and scoring heavily across tournaments, Abhishek pushed up the ranks. His career changed in IPL 2024, where he smashed 484 runs at a strike rate of over 200. His brilliant performance fast-tracked his India debut. Though he began with a duck in Zimbabwe, he replied with a century in his second match. He followed it with a sensational 135 against England at the Wankhede, the highest T20I score by an Indian.

In the Asia Cup, Abhishek finished as the tournament’s highest run-scorer, winning Player of the Tournament. Against Australia, he was again the top scorer and Player of the Series. He broke Tim David’s global record for fastest to 1000 T20I runs in terms of balls faced, reaching the milestone in just 528 balls. He also became the fastest Indian to reach the milestone in matches, achieving it in 28 innings. With 931 rating points, Abhishek climbed to No. 1 in the ICC rankings, the highest rating ever achieved by a men’s T20I batter. Notably, he looks to be in his best form just ahead of the T20 World Cup in India, which will be played in February and March 2026.