Yuvraj Singh has a big role in shaping Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill's careers.
Any Indian cricket fan is well aware of the friendship between Abhishek Sharma and Yuvraj Singh. The Sunrisers Hyderabad hitter, who has already cemented his spot in India's T20I side as an opener, has repeatedly credited Yuvraj with molding his career, and the former India all-rounder has never missed a chance to compliment the young left-hander.
Abhishek's record-breaking 141-run knock against PBKS is an example. The SRH hitter thanked Yuvraj for his support, and India's 2011 ODI World Cup player of the tournament praised him for his maturity. But how did the two left-arm spin-bowling all-rounders find each other? Yuvraj Singh's father, Yograj Singh, a former India cricketer, claimed it was not a coincidence.
Yograj said: Yuvraj first saw Abhishek's remarkable performance in several age-group competitions in Punjab and promptly requested his statistics from the Punjab Cricket Association. To his amazement, the PCA referred to him as a bowler.
“When we asked about a list of Abhishek Sharma’s performances from the PCA and the coaches. Do you know what they said? Sir, he is a bowler. He bowls. Yuvi said, ‘You just look at his performance records.’ So, when we saw the record, Abhishek already had 24 hundreds. Yuvi said, ‘Why are you giving wrong information? Why? This man has made 24 centuries’. This was six or seven years ago," Yograj Singh told Cricket Next.
“And when Yuvi sent that record to me, he said, ‘Papa, look at this player.’ I said, Look, this is all about sharing the information. This is the problem: some people want to finish the player out of jealousy instead of making their own career,” Yograj added.
The notoriously hard-disciplined coach also revealed how Yuvraj disciplined Abhishek for his unruly lifestyle. Yuvraj forbade Abhishek from attending late-night parties and meeting girls at unusual hours, Yograj remarked.
"Late night parties... girlfriend. What happened then? Yuvraj said, ‘Lock him. ’ He came under Yuvraj Singh's wings as his father couldn't handle him. Yuvi shouted, 'Where are you?'. I heard him shout. 'It's 9 pm, go to bed. Do you understand me? I am coming.' He then handed over the phone and went to bed. Yuvi then told his father to wake him up at 5 am," he said.
Yograj also added that Yuvraj handled Shubman Gill in the same manner. Both Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma rose through the ranks and represented India in the U19 World Cup in 2018.
"This is exactly what happened with Shubman Gill," Yograj added.
Yograj said a talent like Abhishek Sharma would have been lost had Yuvraj not guided him.
“But then what happened? When the diamond is into the hands of another diamond, what becomes of it? It turns into Kohinoor, and that's what happened with Abhishek Sharma. If this diamond had gone into the wrong hands of a spade, it would have broken and scattered. Many players in India broke and scattered,” he added.
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