Harbhajan Singh, a former India spinner, believes Abhishek Sharma has the potential to be a full-time left-arm spinner and has advised the young all-rounder to focus more on his bowling.
Harbhajan's comments came following Abhishek's record-breaking effort in India's 150-run triumph over England at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, in which he hammered India's second-fastest T20I century in just 37 balls.
Abhishek's power-hitting effort was nothing short of remarkable, as he struck 13 sixes—the greatest by an Indian hitter in a T20I innings—to help India score a dominant 247 runs.
Not stopping there, he also picked a couple of wickets to send England into a tailspin that saw them getting bowled out for 97 runs, losing the match by 150 runs and series by 4-1.
Harbhajan Singh, who has witnessed Abhishek's development from early in his career, stressed that the young batter's bowling abilities have enormous untapped potential, making him a more useful all-rounder for the team.
While Abhishek has established himself as a formidable batter, Harbhajan believes he can elevate his game by devoting more time and attention to his bowling.
“I want to see Abhishek bowl a bit more. He is a very good bowler. When I saw him early in his career, I noticed his seam position was excellent. However, he doesn’t put as much effort into his bowling as he does into his batting.
Every time he meets me, I remind him— even now— that we need to talk about his bowling first. Batting is his first love, and he will continue to excel at it. But he can certainly work more on his bowling. He possesses all the qualities of a good left-arm spinner,” Harbhajan said on the sidelines of ILT20.
Despite his impressive batting performances, Abhishek's bowling has shown promise. The left-arm spinner has six wickets in his T20I career, with an economy rate of slightly under six in 19 overs. His performances were a blend of consistency and explosive power, and his all-round contribution helped India dominate the series.
“Abhishek Sharma’s all-round performance in the series was exceptional. Not only did he display his batting prowess, but he also showed that he could be a valuable asset with the ball. He just needs to fine-tune his skills, and there’s no limit to what he can achieve in the future,” Harbhajan Singh said.
(IANS inputs)