Yuvraj Singh credits Gautam Gambhir for Abhishek Sharma’s fearless approach

Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has said the current Indian support staff reminds him of his playing days during the ICC World Cup 2011, when the former South African cricketer, Gary Kirsten, coached the Indian team.

Speaking exclusively on PTI, the former Indian cricketer heaped praise on the Indian opening batter Abhishek Sharma and credited the Indian support staff, led by Gautam Gambhir, for instilling fearlessness in his batting style. He also lauded the Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav for instilling confidence in the dashing batter.

Furthermore, Yuvi also recalled the strong piece of advice he had received from the then-head coach, Gary Kirsten, which helped him gain confidence and win many games for the Indian team during his playing days. 

“I think the fearlessness also comes with support from the coach and the captain. When the coach and captain allow you to go and play your game freely, you can express yourself better. That’s what I experienced when Gary Kirsten was coach — he always told me that if I played my natural game, I’d put India in a winning position,” Yuvraj Singh told PTI.

“The confidence that Gautam and Suryakumar have given him — that if he plays his game, India will win six out of ten times — is exactly what’s helping him succeed,” he added. 

For the unversed, Abhishek Sharma had multiple camps near Yuvraj Singh’s home during the COVID-19 lockdown to improve his batting gameplay and make it to the Indian national team in the future.

A few years later, Abhishek Sharma made his debut on the Zimbabwe tour in July 2024. Speaking about his T20I numbers, he has played 28 T20Is, scoring 989 runs at an average of 36.62 and a strike rate of 189.82 with two centuries and six half-centuries.

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