'Playing in a home World Cup is every kid's dream'

From his India U-19 days to the T20I team, left-handed batter Abhishek Sharma has made an impact in the shortest format.

- Shalini Gupta

The opener from Amritsar has risen playing for Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad. In his 17 T20Is, he has hit two centuries and fifties each and will be a contender for a place in the Indian side when they host the World Cup next year. In a chat, he talks about the year gone by. Excerpts

How have things changed for you in the last one year?

A lot has happened very quickly. Making my India debut was emotional, but to follow it up with performances like the hundred (v Zim) and that England knock (135 in his last T20I in Feb), it was special. It has given me the belief that I belong at this level... It is motivating but also makes me want to work even harder.