Young batter Abhishek Sharma got the opportunity to meet the legendary pacer Wasim Akram during the marquee Champions Trophy 2025 clash between India and Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (February 23).
Abhishek, who took the England bowling attack to the cleaners during the T20I series against England earlier this month, was in attendance at the venue alongside his Indian teammates -- Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav.
On the other hand, Akram was part of the star-studded commentary panel along with Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Ramiz Raja, Michael Atherton, Mpumelelo Mbangwa, and others.
The former Pakistan captain took a moment to praise Abhishek for his T20I century against England at the Wankhede Stadium on February 2. He also offered some valuable advice, encouraging the youngster to remain focused and continue working hard.
"Lovely innings, I watched it. Keep it up! This is just the beginning—you have a long way to go. Stay focused and keep performing. All the best!" Akram was heard saying in a video doing rounds on social media.
Meanwhile, former India skipper Sourav Ganguly has advocated for handing an ODI debut to Abhishek sooner than later.
“The way Abhishek Sharma batted in the T20I series (against England) was unbelievable for a left-hander. There is no reason why he can’t play one-day cricket. A player like Abhishek Sharma would be in any cricket team in the world," Ganguly recently said while speaking at an event in Kolkata.
Abhishek Sharma has represented India in 17 T20Is so far, scoring 535 runs at a remarkable strike rate of 193.85 with two hundreds and as many half-centuries.
