Team India has recently won the 5-match T20I series against England by 4-1 at home. They had already sealed the series 3-1 after 4 games, but other than the series, Team India got so many positives from the 5th game. India won the 5th and the last T20I quite convincingly after Abhishek Sharma played a sensational inning of 135. After the man of the match performance, Abhishek Sharma credits Yuvraj Singh for his success in international cricket. He also credits his Punjab coach Wasim Jaffer and said they backed me and believed in me.
Today, we will see what exactly has Abhishek Sharma said about Yuvraj Singh and how he approaches his game. So let’s start.
Team India won the 5th T20I by 150 runs, Abhishek Sharma blasts 135 in 54 balls
Are you thinking that Team India has won the 5th T20I by scoring 150 runs and we have made a mistake in writing? No. Team India has won a T20I game by 150 runs. Strange no? A format where a team sometimes won games after scoring 150 runs in an inning. But yes. That’s how dominating the Indian team was throughout the series.
After losing the toss, Team India was asked to bat first. They lost the first wicket early in Sanju Samson as he again fell on a short-ball tactic by England. But, as we all know the mindset of young batters in T20s nowadays, Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma added 115 runs for the 2nd wicket in a really quick time. The former was the main aggressor in the partnership. He scored 135 runs in just 54 balls with 7 fours and 13 sixes.
The aggressive left-handed opener completed his half-century in just 17 balls. He also becomes the 2nd fastest Indian to score a century in T20Is. The batter completed his century in just 37 balls.
India puts 247 runs on the board. In reply, England were bundled out for just 97 runs in 10.3 overs.
Abhishek Sharma credits Yuvraj Singh for his success
We have been seeing Abhishek Sharma in professional cricket for a while now. He started his IPL career in 2018 and has done well in patches. We have seen his talent over the years, but he became a consistent performer in the last 1.5 years. First, he has done well for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2024. Then, he got rewarded and came into the Indian T20I team and replicated those performances there as well.
After a magnificent hundred, he talked to the media, crediting former star all-rounder Yuvraj Singh for his success. He also took the name of his Punjab coach Wasim Jaffer who has played a huge role in his career.
“They (Yuvraj and Punjab coach Wasim Jaffer) have played a major role in my cricketing career and they are going to continue doing that. But as I have said before, it is all because of him (Yuvraj).” – Abhishek said.
Abhishek said Yuvraj Singh has always believed in him and backed him to do well. “When someone like Yuvraj Singh tells you that you will play for the country and win the games, you naturally try to think, “Okay, I will play for India and I will do my best. Yuvi Paaji has always believed in me.” – He added (Quoted by us).
Regarding his preparation, Abhishek stated that he has gained a better understanding of the game thanks to Yuvraj’s mentoring.
“The focus was very clear (during practice). I was reminded of all of these things by Yuvi Paaji three or four years ago.” – Abhishek when asked about his preparation.
Yuvraj wanted me to play till 15-20 overs – Abhishek
While receiving a Man of the Match trophy, Abhishek Sharma talked about how Yuvraj Singh always wanted him to play long. He also said Gautam Gambhir expects the same from him.
The left-hander also said you have to be ready a second before the bowlers who bowls at 140+. He also talked about those sixes against Adil Rashid.
Conclusion
So this is what a youngster has to say about his mentor Yuvraj Singh. We can also see glimpses of Yuvraj Singh in Abhishek Sharma. The way he plays, along with his mindset, and he is a left-hander too.
Let’s see how he progresses in his career going forward. He has a lot of potential to become a star player. In his short T20I career, he has already hit two centuries. You can expect a lot more from this youngster. Going forward, he might also find his place in ODIs if he continues to do well. Let’s see how things go for him.
FAQs:-
(1) How many runs Abhishek Sharma has scored in T20Is?
He has scored 535 runs in 17 T20Is with an average of 33.44 and a strike rate of 193.84. The batter has 2 fifties and 2 hundreds in this format.
(2) For which franchise Abhishek has made his IPL debut?
He started his IPL career with Delhi Daredevils (now known as Delhi Capitals) in 2018. Since 2019, he has been with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
