diff --git a/go/vt/vttablet/tabletmanager/shard_sync_test.go b/go/vt/vttablet/tabletmanager/shard_sync_test.go
index 40a62d06b76..8f7739e5341 100644
--- a/go/vt/vttablet/tabletmanager/shard_sync_test.go
+++ b/go/vt/vttablet/tabletmanager/shard_sync_test.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package tabletmanager
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"reflect"
 	"testing"
@@ -44,7 +45,7 @@ const (
 )
 
 func TestShardSync(t *testing.T) {
-	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 60*time.Second)
 	defer cancel()
 	ts := memorytopo.NewServer(ctx, "cell1")
 	statsTabletTypeCount.ResetAll()
@@ -67,48 +68,77 @@ func TestShardSync(t *testing.T) {
 	// wait for syncing to work correctly
 	// this should also have updated the shard record since it is a more recent operation
 	// We check here that the shard record and the tablet record are in sync
-	checkShardRecordWithTimeout(ctx, t, ts, ti.Alias, ti.PrimaryTermStartTime, 1*time.Second)
+	err = checkShardRecord(ctx, t, ts, ti.Alias, ti.PrimaryTermStartTime)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Shard sync loop runs asynchronously and starts a watch on the shard.
+	// We wait for the shard watch to start, otherwise the test is flaky
+	// because the update of the record can happen before the watch is started.
+	waitForShardWatchToStart(ctx, t, tm, originalTime, ti)
 
 	// even if try to update the shard record with the old timestamp, it should be reverted again
 	updatePrimaryInfoInShardRecord(ctx, t, tm, nil, originalTime)
 
 	// this should have also updated the shard record because of the timestamp.
-	checkShardRecordWithTimeout(ctx, t, ts, ti.Alias, ti.PrimaryTermStartTime, 1*time.Second)
+	err = checkShardRecord(ctx, t, ts, ti.Alias, ti.PrimaryTermStartTime)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
 
 	// updating the shard record with the latest time should trigger an update in the tablet
 	newTime := time.Now()
 	updatePrimaryInfoInShardRecord(ctx, t, tm, nil, newTime)
 
 	// this should not have updated.
-	checkShardRecordWithTimeout(ctx, t, ts, nil, protoutil.TimeToProto(newTime), 1*time.Second)
+	err = checkShardRecord(ctx, t, ts, nil, protoutil.TimeToProto(newTime))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
 
 	// verify that the tablet record has been updated
-	checkTabletRecordWithTimeout(ctx, t, ts, tm.tabletAlias, topodata.TabletType_REPLICA, nil, 1*time.Second)
+	checkTabletRecordWithTimeout(ctx, t, ts, tm.tabletAlias, topodata.TabletType_REPLICA, nil)
+}
+
+// waitForShardWatchToStart waits for shard watch to have started.
+func waitForShardWatchToStart(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, tm *TabletManager, originalTime time.Time, ti *topo.TabletInfo) {
+	// We wait for shard watch to start by
+	// updating the record and waiting to see
+	// the shard record is updated back by the tablet manager.
+	idx := 1
+	for {
+		select {
+		case <-ctx.Done():
+			require.FailNow(t, "timed out: waiting for shard watch to start")
+		default:
+			updatePrimaryInfoInShardRecord(ctx, t, tm, nil, originalTime.Add(-1*time.Duration(idx)*time.Second))
+			idx = idx + 1
+			checkCtx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 1*time.Second)
+			err := checkShardRecord(checkCtx, t, tm.TopoServer, ti.Alias, ti.PrimaryTermStartTime)
+			cancel()
+			if err == nil {
+				return
+			}
+		}
+	}
 }
 
-func checkShardRecordWithTimeout(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, ts *topo.Server, tabletAlias *topodata.TabletAlias, expectedStartTime *vttime.Time, timeToWait time.Duration) {
-	timeOut := time.After(timeToWait)
+func checkShardRecord(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, ts *topo.Server, tabletAlias *topodata.TabletAlias, expectedStartTime *vttime.Time) error {
 	for {
 		select {
-		case <-timeOut:
-			t.Fatalf("timed out: waiting for shard record to update")
+		case <-ctx.Done():
+			return errors.New("timed out: waiting for shard record to update")
 		default:
 			si, err := ts.GetShard(ctx, keyspace, shard)
 			require.NoError(t, err)
 			if reflect.DeepEqual(tabletAlias, si.PrimaryAlias) && reflect.DeepEqual(expectedStartTime, si.PrimaryTermStartTime) {
-				return
+				return nil
 			}
 			time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
 		}
 	}
 }
 
-func checkTabletRecordWithTimeout(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, ts *topo.Server, tabletAlias *topodata.TabletAlias, tabletType topodata.TabletType, expectedStartTime *vttime.Time, timeToWait time.Duration) {
-	timeOut := time.After(timeToWait)
+func checkTabletRecordWithTimeout(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, ts *topo.Server, tabletAlias *topodata.TabletAlias, tabletType topodata.TabletType, expectedStartTime *vttime.Time) {
 	for {
 		select {
-		case <-timeOut:
-			t.Fatalf("timed out: waiting for tablet record to update")
+		case <-ctx.Done():
+			require.FailNow(t, "timed out: waiting for tablet record to update")
 		default:
 			ti, err := ts.GetTablet(ctx, tabletAlias)
 			require.NoError(t, err)