NEW DELHI: Sunrisers Hyderabad's young batsman
Abhishek Sharma
showcased his exceptional batting skills in the
2024 Indian Premier League
(IPL) season.
He amassed an impressive 484 runs in 16 innings, maintaining a remarkable strike rate of 204.02. His ability to hit the ball to all corners of the ground was a sight to behold.
Rajkumar Sharma
, Abhishek's father and childhood coach, shared insights into the significant influence that renowned players like
Yuvraj Singh
and
Rahul Dravid
have had on the rising star's career.
Rajkumar expressed his gratitude towards Yuvraj for dedicating his time and effort to train young talents like Abhishek. "I feel very good when world-class players like Yuvraj Singh train young kids then there could not be anything better than that. Yuvi has had a huge impact on his career, he worked really hard and used to make him train all day and night," Rajkumar said.
Abhishek's admiration for Yuvraj Singh was evident from a young age. Rajkumar recalled, "He used to consider Yuvraj as his idol and used to say 'Mai Yuvi paaji ke tarah batting karunga' (I want to bat like Yuvraj Singh). He used to watch his videos and once they started training together even Yuvi himself said ki 'mujhe aise lag raha hai mai khud batting karraha hun' (It seems like I am batting) and then he and his entire team used to train him, Yuvi used to himself stand and watch him bat."
Throughout the 2024 IPL season, Abhishek Sharma proved his mettle as a formidable opening batsman. His explosive batting style and impressive strike rate of 204.22 led to some memorable partnerships with his teammate
Travis Head
.
Rajkumar further emphasized Abhishek's innate talent and the opportunities he received to interact with cricketing legends. From a young age, Abhishek's ability to hit long sixes and clear the stadium boundaries left everyone in awe.
As he grew older, he had the privilege of meeting and learning from esteemed players like Yuvraj Singh, Rahul Dravid, and Brian Lara.
“I used to get good bowlers and he used to hit sixes and even clear the ball out of the stadium. Everyone used to be shocked that a kid hits long sixes. And I used to tell everyone he was gifted. When he got older he went to professional coaches and top players and I thanked them for this result. He met Yuvraj Singh, Rahul Dravid and Brian Lara and started travelling the country and playing well,” stated the youngster.
(Inputs from IANS)
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