The 26-year-old opener says impact and team success matter more than personal statistics, and credits the entire team environment for shaping his approach.
Sensational opening batter Abhishek Sharma has stated that his only goal as a cricketer is to win trophies, not to chase individual milestones. The 26-year-old cricketer made the remarks on Monday, October 5, ahead of India's upcoming T20I series against the West Indies.
Sharma said his mindset around impact and team success took shape during Punjab's domestic T20 campaign that ended in a title win in 2024. Punjab claimed the 2023-24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, their first title, defeating Baroda by 20 runs in the final. Sharma was named Player of the Series in that tournament.
He has since been part of India's 2025 Asia Cup-winning side and the 2026 T20 World Cup-winning squad, adding two major trophies to his record at the international level. Most recently, he also starred in the Men in Blue's Gold Medal win at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026. He was a vital performer, scoring a crucial half-century (61 off 28) against arch-rivals Pakistan in the final match.
"As an individual, I never had this urge that I should achieve this, achieve that. I had only one goal: to win trophies. I feel that you need a lot of support from the team, the management, the coaches, and the captain because they know how you play. I feel they have helped me quite a lot, the entire team, not just the support staff, even the players as well, senior players. So now, like it has happened for me when I was new, the new players should also get that freedom; they should feel that they belong here. So, I really enjoy that when I talk with Vaibhav or with other young players," Abhishek said via JioStar.
What is Abhishek Sharma's approach to batting and personal milestones?
Sharma has been clear that personal statistics are secondary to the impact he creates for his team. He believes that milestones are not within a player's direct control, whereas the quality and effect of each innings is something a batter can actively shape. This outlook, he says, has guided every innings he has played since his Punjab days.
"When I started, I thought that I had to play in a way that I could play impactful innings for my team. That started from my Punjab team in domestic cricket, and we won the domestic T20 competition in 2024. From there, I feel a mindset developed that I don't have to chase milestones, because that's not in your hands. What's in your hands is how much impact you can make. That is how I want to play, no matter what opposition we are playing," he added.
Abhishek is next expected to feature in India's five-match T20I series against the West Indies at home. The first game of the series will be played at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday.