Rise and shine: How cricketer Abhishek Sharma is adjusting to being famous

At 23, cricketer Abhishek Sharma scored the fastest IPL 50 for Sunrisers Hyderabad. The national team is a dream away. How he's enjoying the first taste of fame

In April, cricketer Abhishek Sharma was at a photoshoot, when one of the stylists asked to take a picture with him. He obliged. “She wrapped her hands in mine. And that picture went viral,” he recalls. “It was all over social media that I have a new girlfriend.”

At 23, Abhishek Sharma has already scored the fastest IPL 50 for Sunrisers Hyderabad. (SAMRAT NAGAR)

Young Abhishek Sharma’s first coach was his father, Raj Kumar Sharma, who played for Punjab.

Sharma, who has two elder sisters, grew up in Amritsar, where his father has a cricket academy.

Sharma is now in Zimbabwe as part of India’s T20I squad, with his best friend, Shubman Gill, the captain.

The young player counts cricket legend Brian Lara as one of his mentors.

Cricketer Yuvraj Singh has been advising Sharma to stay cool under pressure.

The cricketer met actor Shah Rukh Khan during the IPL. He calls it a great experience.

Sharma recently turned vegetarian, something his mother always wanted.