‘That’s the key…’: Sri Lanka’s coach praises Abhishek Sharma for his ‘Fearless’ batting in Asia Cup 2025

“He (Abhishek) is playing his natural game and they (team management) have encouraged him to play his natural game. That’s the key because if someone is playing his natural game then we need to encourage him to play his natural game,” said the Sri Lankan great when asked if he saw shades of a young Jayasuriya in Abhishek during the post-match interaction.

After a relatively quiet group stage, Abhishek has struck 74 (vs Pakistan), 75 (vs Bangladesh) and 61 (vs Sri Lanka), playing his brand of belligerent cricket. “Whenever he wants to slow down a bit, he knows how to slow down also now. So, after six overs (of powerplay) if he wants to bat for a longer period, he is doing that. So, day by day he is getting (more) runs and he is batting really well.”

“I think, the good thing is the coaching staff has given him the license to play his natural game. That’s the key,” Jayasuriya explained that the Indian coaches backing the youngster completely has helped Abhishek unleash his batting prowess coming at the top.