Yuvraj Singh has always said I can become a better bowler than him: Abhishek Sharma

After bowling a crucial spell against Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2, Abhishek Sharma revealed that his mentor, Yuvraj Singh, tells him that he is a better bowler than him. The youngster from Punjab has played an instrumental role in Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) success in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.

Ahead of the summit clash against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday, May 26, Abhishek said that he worked with his father, who was also a left-arm spinner, and honed his bowling skills during his early days in the sport.

"I think my dad will be very happy because he was a left arm spinner, he has been working very hard on my bowling. Somehow I knew that if I kept working on my bowling, I can do something for my team. From junior cricket, I have been bowling a lot and taking wickets and I was waiting for this opportunity," Abhishek said in a video on IPL website.

"It did not come that easily as I had to really show my captain and coaches in the practice, because they had not seen much," he added.

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On a spin-friendly Chepauk track in Qualifier 2, Abhishek bowled an excellent spell and bagged the important wickets of Rajasthan captain Sanju Samson and experienced finisher Shimron Hetmyer to help Sunrisers restrict the inaugural champions to 139/7 in their pursuit of a 176-run target. Abhishek has already scored 482 runs in 15 matches with the bat. Now, after displaying his bowling prowess, it will be tough for the national selectors to keep him away from the Indian team for too long.

Abhishek hoped that the legendary Yuvraj, who won India several games with his all-round abilities, would be happy that he has contributed with the ball.

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"Whenever I have had conversations about bowling with Yuvi paji (Yuvraj Singh), he has always said that I can become a better bowler than him. I always had that in my mind, I think he will be happy as well that I contributed with my bowling," Abhishek said.