How many cricketers can brag about the fact that they’ve been trained by Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Brian Lara and Gautam Gambhir?
Abhishek Sharma is one such batter, as the left-handed dasher makes the world his oyster. The youngster showed the world what he is made of, smashing 135 runs off 54 balls in the fifth T20I against England at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
Abhishek has repeatedly spoken about Yuvraj being his mentor and how the two-time World Cup winner helped shape his game. Abhishek’s 50 off just 17 balls against England brought back some fond Yuvraj memories. The mind harked back to Yuvraj’s decimation of Stuart Broad during the 2007 T20 World Cup.
Abhishek’s father and childhood coach, Raj Kumar Sharma, in a chat with The Hindustan Times, revealed Yuvraj’s influential role in his son’s career going back to the roots. Raj Kumar expressed his gratitude to the former India all-rounder for taking the time to go out of the way and simply being there for Abhishek the entire time. Yuvraj has repeatedly expressed on social media his desire to see Abhishek go all the way and play a big knock. After the initial setbacks, the left-handed batter sure made his mentor proud.
“Yuvraj Singh has always been for Abhishek. He has made the biggest contribution to his cricket. He has always given him time; worked on him a lot. He first met Yuvraj Singh during the Ranji Trophy. Yuvraj was instantly impressed with his talent. Yuvraj then asked Abhishek whether he would like to train with him. He wanted to prepare him and make him a better cricketer,” said Abhishek’s father.
“Abhishek then told him ‘paaji, mere idol he aap ho. Main to aapko bhagwaan manta hu apna’ (You’re my idol. I consider you god). I have grown up watching your batting videos. Yuvraj then took Abhishek under his wings and has really developed Abhishek’s game. He’s had the maximum impact and contribution. No matter where Yuvraj is, he always ensures he speaks to Abhishek. Yuvraj keeps Abhishek with him, no matter if it’s 5 days or 10 days, he stays with him and works on his game.”
Did Yuvraj have anything specific in store for Abhishek before the five-match T20I series against England in which the youngster eventually scored 279 runs? Sharma Sr. unveiled some very interesting details.
“Yuvraj spoke to Abhishek before the England series. Abhishek had five spare days. He had just reached Amritsar. On the same day, Yuvraj called him and asked him to come to Gurugram. Yuvraj then trained with him for five days. He prepared him mentally, changed his mindset, and asked him to play longer innings. He asked him how to go about building an inning. Before the England series, Abhishek trained with Yuvraj regarding both batting and bowling. Yuvraj’s entire team is focused on Abhishek. Someone works on his gym aspect while someone else deals with running and other activities,” said Raj Kumar Sharma.
During his preparation in Gurugram, Abhishek also got a chance to interact with another former India opening batter. “Shikhar [Dhawan] worked on him as well. He shared his experiences with him. He told him how to go about his batting when playing in the Indian conditions. He also spent 5-6 days with him.”
Impact of Brian Lara
Abhishek has also learnt a lot from another legendary batter, Brian Lara. He spent a lot of time with the former West Indies captain during his time as the head coach of SunRisers Hyderabad in the IPL. As a matter of fact, it may blow your mind knowing that Lara talks to Abhishek daily and always wants to know whether the young Indian batter needs any advice on how to proceed.
“Abhishek is a very lucky guy. He has met many big players who have shared their experiences with him. Rahul Dravid sir met him during his early days. VVS Laxman then worked on him during the IPL. Brian Lara saw him and was shocked, saying, ‘Abhishek has immense talent’. Brian Lara talks with him daily. He always tells him how to build long innings and how to go about playing in different conditions. Brian Lara has always told him that he will be there for him whenever he needs some help,” revealed Abhishek’s father.
Raj Kumar also expressed his gratitude to Punjab head coach Wasim Jaffer and the Punjab Cricket Association. “I want to think of Amritsar Cricket Association and Punjab Cricket Association. When he became the captain of Punjab’s Ranji Trophy team, Wasim Jaffer sir also worked with him. He is also very fond of him,” he said.
The 24-year-old has spent the past few years learning from the very best, but his father’s influence cannot be overlooked. It was Raj Kumar who first nurtured Abhishek’s love for the sport, providing him with his initial coaching and laying the foundation for his journey.
“He was fond of cricket since the very beginning. He always liked hitting sixes. When I trained him, he was just focused on hitting fours and sixes. When he was playing U14, I knew he had real talent. In U14, he scored three centuries. Then, in U16, he scored the highest runs in India, about 1200 runs, and he took 57 wickets. He was awarded by the BCCI during the Naman Awards as well,” said Raj Kumar Sharma.
“Rahul Dravid sir worked on him a lot. He was the captain of the U19 Asia Cup team. He was the Man of the Series. He then went to the U19 World Cup.”
See insights and ads
All reactions:
11
