Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin lauded Abhishek Sharma and said the youngster will carry his mentor Yuvraj Singh’s legacy forward. Sharma scored a match-winning knock of 74 runs off just 39 balls against Pakistan in the Super Four clash of the Asia Cup at Dubai on Sunday.
India was chasing a target of 172 and Sharma played a key role in the team’s six-wicket win. The left-hander smashed six fours and five sixes in his blistering knock as he batted at the top of his game. He also added 105 runs with Shubman Gill to give a perfect start to the team. Thus, the youngster was awarded Player of the Match for his exemplary knock.
Earlier, Sharma had scored 30 runs off 16 balls against the UAE and smashed 31 runs off just 13 balls against Pakistan in the Group stage of the continental tournament.
“I want to tell you that this is not the arrival of Abhishek Sharma, this is just the beginning. He has just started, and he has a long future ahead. He is going to blow the cricketing world apart,” Ashwin said on his Youtube channel. He tipped the left-hander to carry forward his mentor Yuvraj Singh’s legacy.
“Take that in writing. He has so much ability, just like how Yuvraj Singh became India’s marquee white-ball cricketer. The best white-ball batter in limited-overs cricket for India. He can reach that level easily. I think he is going to carry Yuvraj’s legacy forward. He is a phenomenal talent.”
Ashwin praised Sharma for his batting technique and lauded the left-hander’s shot through the covers when he made use of his wrist to hit the ball like former Indian captain MS Dhoni.
“Abhishek Sharma hit an inside-out MS Dhoni-style helicopter cover drive. Everybody will talk about the five sixes that he hit, but I want to talk about this cover drive, because there was finesse in this shot. Despite only having one bat swing, he can adjust his downswing. If a batter can make the game look that simple, then why would you not want to watch him day in and day out?” Ashwin said.
India will next take on Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on Wednesday.
