IPL 2024: Yuvraj Singh praises young Abhishek Sharma after his heroics against MI

For Sunrisers Hyderabad's Abhishek Sharma, the mentorship of Yuvraj Singh and the guidance of Brian Lara have been instrumental in his journey. The young cricketer is aiming to unlock his true potential in the ongoing IPL 2024 season. The 23-year-old Punjab all-rounder showed glimpses of his talent on Wednesday against Mumbai Indians, smashing an incredible 16-ball fifty, the fastest ever for SRH.

Sharma's blistering 63 off just 23 balls was the main reason for SRH's highest total record in IPL of 277/3 against MI. Together with Travis Head's 62 off 24, they stitched a 68-run partnership in just 23 balls leaving MI shellshocked. Abhishek took the attack to the bowlers from the very first ball, reaching his fifty in just 16 deliveries to break Head's 18-ball effort as SRH's fastest ever.

He put SRH in a commanding position at 161/3 by the time he fell in the 11th over. From there South African duo of Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen took on and helped the Hyderabad-based franchise to post a massive total.

Also read: Head, Abhishek wreak havoc as SRH post their highest powerplay total

Waah sir Abhishek waah: Yuvraj Singh

While impressed by the innings, former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, taking to his social media, lauded the youngster, “Waah sir Abhishek waah, great innings but what a splendid shot to get out on! Laaton ke bhoot baaton se nahi maante! Special slippers waiting for you now,” Yuvraj wrote on X.

Abhishek's father Rajkumar Sharma credits Yuvraj and West Indies legend Brian Lara, who keep in regular touch, for his son's rapid improvement. “Yuvraj has worked a lot on him. Yuvraj asks Abhishek to get on a plane and bring his cricket kitbag along, be it Mumbai, Dubai, Delhi, or Chandigarh. Yuvraj makes sure Abhishek works hard in the off-season. We are grateful that a cricketer of Yuvraj’s stature is his mentor,” Rajkumar told The Indian Express.

Also read: I had a chance to talk to Brian Lara before MI's game and that helped me massively: Abhishek Sharma

Abhishek also agreed that he needs to work on his consistency and spoke about how Yuvraj helps him prepare. “This is the area where I am lacking the most. Yuvi paaji has told me last year that I must take every match as a new match,” Abhishek said.