India opener Abhishek Sharma has revealed that his mentor Yuvraj Singh was delighted when he came out to have fun on his T20I debut against Zimbabwe here, as the swashbuckling ex-cop, for reasons best known to him, felt it was a “good start” . Making his debut for India, Abhishek was at a loss as the Men in Blue lost the first T20I against hosts Zimbabwe by 13 runs on Saturday. But the 23-year-old came back strongly to set the stage on fire with a thrilling first century (47-ball 100) to ensure India’s 100-run victory in the second game a day later.
“I spoke to him yesterday (Saturday) too and I don’t know why he was very happy when I left scratch. He said it was a good start but he must be very happy and proud, just like my family,” Abhishek said in a video posted by BCCI.
He credited the hero of India’s 2011 World Cup triumph for not only helping him hone his skills on the cricket field but also supporting him in his life off the field.
“It’s all because of him too, the hard work he put into (shaping me). (For) two or three years, he worked very hard not only in my cricket but also off the field (in life). After Sunday’s game, Abhishek called Yuvraj, who couldn’t be happier for the youngster.
“Well done, very proud, you deserve it. Many more (such entries) are to come, this is just the beginning,” Yuvraj said.
As there was no rest day between the first two games, the visitors did not have much time to dwell on the opening defeat and this worked in India’s favor as they leveled the five-match series at 1-1.
“We lost yesterday but I felt that today is my day and I must take the game to the end, the positive thing is that we didn’t have much time to think about the next game”, he highlighted.
Abhishek combined with Ruturaj Gaikwad (77 not out off 47 balls) for a 137-run victory for the second wicket.
“I was calm and just wanted to express myself. I spoke to Rutu too, he said the same thing that ‘don’t think too much about the balls and hit what you think you can’,” he said.
He once again thanked India’s tour captain and his Punjab teammate Shubman Gill for lending him his bat.
“Special thanks to Shubman who gave me his baton in a timely manner, this was a much needed innings for me and the team.
“This has been happening since the under-14s. Whenever I play with his bat I have done well, the same thing happened today.
“I only played with his bat, which I got with great difficulty, he doesn’t give it easy. That’s my last option when I feel like I have to play with his bat to get back,” he joked.
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