Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has backed young Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener Abhishek Sharma to play for India soon. Sharma has been in terrific form with the bat for SRH in the ongoing IPL 2024.
Sharma has scored 467 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 209.41, including a season-highest 41 sixes. Abhishek hit his third half-century of the season on Sunday, helping Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) finish their league-stage campaign with a four-wicket victory over Punjab Kings.
Chasing the target of 215, Abhishek Sharma slammed a blistering 66 off 28 balls, including 5 fours and 6 sixes. While he did fall in the 11th over, Heinrich Klassen then took charge with his 42 off 26 balls to ensure SRH finished No. 2 on the points table.
Now SRH will clash with KKR in the Qualifier 1 in Ahmedabad on May 21. The winner of that progresses to the final, while the losing team goes on to play the winner of the Eliminator, which will see Rajasthan Royals take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Harbhajan Singh was very impressed with Abhishek Sharma’s heroics with the bat and said that the batter will surely play for India very soon.
"Ye Indian team ke darwaze khatkhata nahi rahe, tod rahe hain, todne ke liye bas ab taiyar khade hue hain (he is not just knocking at the Indian team's door but almost breaking it open). The kind of batting he has done in this entire (IPL) season, I don't think any other youngster has played this well...He has dominated with the bat. He hasn't bowled yet, which he is quite good at as well. He is a good allrounder," said Harbhajan on Star Sports.
Abhishek was first signed by Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in 2018 when he was only 17 years old. He also played for the India Under-19 team that won the U-19 World Cup in New Zealand the same year. In 2019, he joined the Sunrisers.
This season, he hit the fastest fifty by an SRH batter in 16 balls against MI.
"He was unhappy today (Sunday, against Punjab Kings) because he had a hundred there on a platter. He missed it. But the knocks he has played (so far this season), have been impactful. He was a youngster when he made his Ranji debut for Punjab under me. I am so happy to see his progress and the way he has enhanced his performance. He is around that door to the Indian team now, one day he will enter it," Harbhajan concluded.
