Abhishek Sharma credited Yuvraj Singh, the hero of India’s 2011 World Cup triumph, for helping him develop his skills on the cricket field and supporting him in his life off the field.
India opener Abhishek Sharma shared that his mentor Yuvraj Singh was surprisingly happy when he got out for a duck on his T20I debut against Zimbabwe, believing it was a “good start” for reasons best known to him. During his debut for India, Abhishek was dismissed without scoring as the Men in Blue lost the first T20I against Zimbabwe by 13 runs. However, the 23-year-old made a remarkable comeback by scoring a blistering maiden century (a 47-ball 100), leading India to a 100-run victory in the second game the following day.
“I spoke to him yesterday, and I don’t know why he was very happy when I got out for zero. He said that’s a good start, but he must be very happy and proud, just like my family,” Abhishek said in a video posted by BCCI.
Abhishek attributed his success to Yuvraj, not only for helping him with his cricket skills but also for supporting him in his personal life. “It’s all because of him as well, the hard work he has put in shaping me. For two-three years, he has worked really hard not only on my cricket but off the field as well.” After Sunday’s game, Abhishek called Yuvraj, who couldn’t be happier for the young cricketer.
“Well done, very proud, you deserve it. Many more such innings to come; this is just the start,” Yuvraj said.
With no rest day between the first two games, the team didn’t have much time to dwell on the opening loss, which worked in India’s favor as they leveled the five-match series 1-1.
“We lost yesterday, but I felt today is my day, and I should take the match to the end. The positive was that we didn’t have much time to think about the next game,” Abhishek pointed out.
Abhishek teamed up with Ruturaj Gaikwad (77 not out off 47 balls) for a match-winning 137-run partnership for the second wicket.
“I was in a flow and just wanted to express myself. I spoke to Rutu as well, and he said the same thing: ‘Don’t think much about the balls and hit what you think you can,'” he said.
He also thanked India skipper on the tour and his Punjab teammate, Shubman Gill, for lending him his bat. “Special thanks to Shubman, who timely gave me his bat. This was a much-needed innings for me and the team.
“This has been going on since U-14 times. Whenever I play with his bat, I have done well; today also, the same happened. I played with his bat only, which I got after a lot of difficulty. He doesn’t give it easily. That is like my last option when I feel I have to play with his bat for a comeback,” he quipped.
