How Yuvraj Singh shaped Abhishek Sharma’s batting and Brian Lara made him play golf to improve bat-swing

On Abhishek Sharma’s birthday on September 4, Yuvraj Singh posted a video on Instagram with a caption: “Hope you take as many singles this year as many as you knock out of the park.” In the video, Yuvraj can be seen getting irritated with Abhishek trying to hit every ball for a six and he said: “Single bhi le lo Maharaj (Take a single at least). The video ends with another taunt: “Tu na sudhri bas, chakke maari jaaye, thalle na kheli (You are not going to len… you are only hitting sixes, try and hit along the ground also).”

Happy birthday sir Abhishek 🙏🏻 🎂 hope you take as many singles this year as many as you knock out of the park 🤪 Keep putting in the hard work! loads of love and wishes for a great year ahead! ❤️ @IamAbhiSharma4 pic.twitter.com/Y56tQ2jGHk
— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) September 4, 2024
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On Sunday against a quality England attack, Abhishek showed that he is not a one-trick pony. He completed his fifty in 17 balls, reached the three-figures mark in 37 and when wickets were falling regularly, he held one end and got out in the 18th over. During his 54-ball 135 run carnage at the Wankhede Stadium, Abhishek Sharma took 19 singles, and ran five twos but smashed 13 sixes, the most for India in T20Is.
“Yuvraj Singh has had lots of conversations with him about him taking a few singles. But Abhishek says ‘Paaji, when I see the ball I feel I can hit it for a six or a four every time. And when I can hit a ball for six, why bother running,’” Abhishek Sharma’s father Raj Kumar Sharma narrates a conversation between his son and his mentor Yuvraj Singh.
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“But Yuvraj is very adamant that if he wants to play all three formats, he must start rotating the strike and learn to play as per the situation,” he continues.
After Abhishek’s second T20 hundred on Sunday night, Yuvraj texted him, his father reveals: “You still have a long way to go but never forget that you should never chase the personal milestone. The team should always come first. This is how I want you to build your innings. Go hard but be sensible,” read the message.
His father credits everything to Yuvraj Singh and remembers how the two-time World Cup winner gave him a training routine during the lockdown, which Abhishek still follows.

Rome wasn’t built in a day!
Congratulations @IamAbhiSharma4 on the journey to your first International 100! Many more to come 👊💯 #AbhishekSharma #INDvsZIM pic.twitter.com/7qfZJTiqOd
— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) July 8, 2024
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“Yuvraj has taught him how to walk. Raat din iske peeche laga rahe. He has always looked after his training. He has called him to Mohali, Chandigarh, Gurgaon or Mumbai, wherever he was. It was Yuvraj, who gave him the confidence that he could win matches for India. He gave him a schedule. Abhishek still follows it. He wakes up at 4. He starts with meditation, yoga, swimming, gym, and then batting, bowling and fielding. This has been his routine for four-five years,” says Raj Kumar Sharma.Story continues below this ad
During the off-season, Abhishek played small tournaments in North India. Like last year, he played a tournament in Delhi, where he smoked a 50-ball 200 in a T20 game and then also went to Kashmir to play one local tournament.
“In these tournaments, he tries and executes what he has learnt in the training. He sends the videos to Yuvraj, who looks at it and gives his feedback. The duo talks every day for an hour in the night.
“What more can I say about Yuvraj? Not only cricket, but he has helped him grow as a person too. He has worked on his communications skills, he has taught him driving, and takes him to the golf course to play golf,” he adds.
In the last couple of years, Abhishek has changed his grip, the open shoulder stance, which has helped him dominate the leg side. A realignment of his front foot while lofting down the ground, holding his hitting shape and developing scoring areas square of the wicket – have all contributed to expanding his stroke options. The bat swing has gone a notch above, since the time he started playing golf.Story continues below this ad
Abhishek has received praise from none other than Sachin Tendulkar for his bat swing. “His bat swing is effortless. He has all the shots. He generates an incredible amount of power. It may not be too visible – he is not a big guy – but he has such sweet timing. I love watching him. The way he plays, hits sixes and fours to all parts of the ground. It’s a joy to watch,” Tendulkar said in an interaction with Star Sports.

Happy Birthday to the one and only Sir Abhishek 🎂 🙇🏻‍♂️ keep putting in the hours and the results will speak for themselves! Janamdin diya lakh lakh vadhaiyaan. Stay grounded, stay blessed and keep working hard! @IamAbhiSharma4 pic.twitter.com/vj16sk82Zq
— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) September 4, 2023
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Yuvraj would advise Abhishek to soak up suggestions from players like Brian Lara and Shikhar Dhawan. It was Lara, Raj Kumar Sharma says, who during his time at the Sunrisers Hyderabad introduced Abhishek to golf.
“Yuvi has asked him to note down everything that Lara says. It was Lara who, after seeing his eagerness to hit sixes, took him to a golf course and said ‘This sport will help in your bat swing.’ And then he continued to play golf with Yuvraj in Chandigarh as well. It has helped him in his game,” he says.
“Lara even told him that ‘Abhishek you will rule the world. People will come and watch you play. You have the talent to fill the stadium.’”Story continues below this ad
Before this England series, he had spent a week with former India opener Shikhar Dhawan.
“Yuvraj called him to Gurgaon before the series. He trained there with Shikhar Dhawan. The idea was to learn how Dhawan plays those exquisite grounded cover drives and square drives. Dhawan explained to him the importance of taking singles. It was a one-week camp with Yuvraj and Dhawan,” reveals Raj Kumar Sharma.
There is also an Australian hand in Abhishek’s rise. Abhishek stormed into limelight in IPL 2024, scoring 484 runs in 16 matches with a strike rate of 204.22. He became the first batsman to pile up more than 400 runs without even facing 30 balls in a single innings. The most number of deliveries he has faced was 28 against Lucknow Super Giants, where he remained unbeaten on 75 to chase down 166-run target in 9.4 overs.
Mayank Markande, Abhishek’s childhood friend and current Punjab team’s captain says the “real Abhishek Sharma” came into his own when Travis Head joined the franchise.Story continues below this ad
“The duo were inseparable on and off the field. I have played with him since our U-14 days and we always knew he is special but with Travis coming to the Sunrisers, something changed. They trained together, they batted together in the nets, they made specific plans for the bowlers and had the full backing of Pat Cummins,” says Markande.
“I still remember the game against Lucknow Super Giants, where we chased down 166 runs in the 10th over. Me and Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) paaji went to the dressing room to get changed and the moment we returned to the dug out, we needed 15-20 runs to win the match. I will never forget Bhuvi paaji’s reaction. He was scratching his head and said: ‘Ye video game chal raha hai (They are playing video game).’”
In Mumbai last night Abhishek revealed how he has worked on his six-hitting game. He explained: ” I practised a lot of match scenarios. I did a lot of open nets. But there was one thing in my mind that Brian Lara had (once) told me, ‘play your shots but make sure you don’t get out.’ I used to be careful that I won’t get out to any bowler. That really helped me in these few years,” he said.
“I react to the ball based on the team situation,” he told reporters. “When I was in the 80s or 90s, Surya paaji came in and said you’ve played well so far, worked hard, so you can take two-three balls. When the captain is batting with you and tells you something, I feel I should bat carefully. When Hardik paaji came in, he said, ‘since wickets are falling you have to play according to the situation and bat till the end since you are hitting the ball well.’ Then Axar paaji came in… these three are senior players and have played well for India, so no better players to len to in that situation.” At one point, when Adil Rashid was bowling googlies from outside leg, Abhishek can be seen asking Axar, “Maar doon? (Can I hit?)”.Story continues below this ad
Later Yuvraj wrote on X: “Well played @IamAbhiSharma4! That’s where I want to see you! Proud of you.”