New Delhi: Indian star opener Abhishek Sharma recently shared a hilarious bus incident involving India’s Test skipper Shubman Gill from their under-16 days.
Sharma and Gill, two talented cricketers from Punjab, have been teammates since childhood, building a bond that extends well beyond the cricket field. They rose through the ranks together, representing Punjab in domestic cricket and later being part of the Indian U-19 team that lifted the 2018 World Cup. Today, they play side by side for the Indian national team, with Sharma making his mark in T20Is and Gill excelling across formats.
Speaking on Breakfast with Champions, Sharma recalled: “Ek insaan hai jo age group cricket mein kabhi shaitaniyaan krta nahi fassa – Shubman Gill. During an under-16 practice session with kids from Punjab, Delhi, and HP, our hotel was 500 meters from the Dharamshala stadium, so we traveled by bus. The driver wouldn’t play songs, but we wanted Punjabi tracks, and the argument escalated. The loudest voice from the back was Shubman’s.”
Sharma added, “The situation reached the coaches, and two to three drivers came forward, claiming some kids had misbehaved. When asked to identify the culprits, the driver pointed at all of us except Shubman. I was shocked. We had to sign letters to go back home, and I was upset—not just that I was caught, but that Shubman, who started it all, got away. He had this incredible talent to change his expressions instantly. That day, he pulled off the ultimate ‘bechara’ face.”
The pair recently opened for India in the T20 Asia Cup. Sharma scored 314 runs in seven innings to finish as the tournament’s top scorer, while Gill contributed 127 runs.
Sharma also broke a five-year record in the ICC Men’s T20I Batter Rankings, achieving a career-high rating of 931 points following a stylish half-century against Sri Lanka, surpassing Dawid Malan’s previous record of 919 points set in 2020.
Meanwhile, Gill made a stunning start to his captaincy, scoring four centuries against England and subsequently being named vice-captain of India’s T20 Asia Cup squad. He ended the series as the leading run-scorer with 754 runs in 10 innings at an average of 75.40, including marathon knocks of 269 and 161 during India’s historic Test win at Birmingham.
