Abhishek Sharma’s Preparation for England Onslaught: Yuvraj's SOS, Lara's Calls, and Dhawan's Guidance

Abhishek Sharma’s Preparation for England Onslaught: How many cricketers can claim to have been coached by Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Brian Lara, and Gautam Gambhir? Abhishek Sharma is one of these batters, who left-handedly turned the world upside down. He showed everyone what he is made of by hammering 135 runs in 54 balls during the fifth T20I against England, played at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Abhishek has always maintained that Yuvraj has been his mentor, and the two-time World Cup winner had a hand in shaping his game. The memories that came back of Yuvraj were due to Abhishek's 50 off just 17 against England, bringing to mind the nights when India was witness to Yuvraj obliterating Stuart Broad back in the 2007 T20 World Cup.

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In an interview with The Hindustan Times, during the days that Yuvraj kept influencing and guiding him, Abhishek's father and childhood coach, Raj Kumar Sharma, said that Yuvraj's role in Abhishek's career goes way back. With great affection, Raj Kumar thanked Yuvraj for being willing to go out of his way and just by being there for Abhishek through all those years. Yuvraj has often tweeted about Abhishek's success and how he hopes to witness him make a big score. So after having gone through a rough patch, it would have made the left-handed batter really proud of his mentor.

"Yuvraj Singh has always been for Abhishek. He has made the biggest contribution to his cricket. He has always given him time; worked on him a lot. He first met Yuvraj Singh during the Ranji Trophy. Yuvraj was instantly impressed with his talent. Yuvraj then asked Abhishek whether he would like to train with him. He wanted to prepare him and make him a better cricketer," said Abhishek's father.

"Abhishek then told him 'paaji, mere idol he aap ho. Main to aapko bhagwaan manta hu apna' (You're my idol. I consider you god). I have grown up watching your batting videos. Yuvraj then took Abhishek under his wings and has really developed Abhishek's game. He's had the maximum impact and contribution. No matter where Yuvraj is, he always ensures he speaks to Abhishek. Yuvraj keeps Abhishek with him, no matter if it's 5 days or 10 days, he stays with him and works on his game."

Anything special that Yuvraj had for the boy was to be revealed by Sharma Sr. before the five-match T20I series against England, a tournament wherein he was to score 279 runs? He gave an inside story.

"Yuvraj spoke to Abhishek before the England series. Abhishek had five spare days. He had just reached Amritsar. On the same day, Yuvraj called him and asked him to come to Gurugram. Yuvraj then trained with him for five days. He prepared him mentally, changed his mindset, and asked him to play longer innings. He asked him how to go about building an inning. Before the England series, Abhishek trained with Yuvraj regarding both batting and bowling. Yuvraj's entire team is focused on Abhishek. Someone works on his gym aspect while someone else deals with running and other activities," said Raj Kumar Sharma.

Sharma Jr. got an opportunity to meet yet another former India opening batter during his preparatory camp in Gurugram. "Shikhar [Dhawan] worked on him as well. He shared his experiences with him. He told him how to go about his batting when playing in the Indian conditions. He also spent 5-6 days with him."

Impact of Brian Lara

Abhishek also learnt a lot from yet another legendary great-who himself is the former captain of the West Indies-Brian Lara. Given that he was with Lara as the SunRisers Hyderabad head coach during IPL, a lot of time was spent together. As a matter of fact, it may blow your mind if you get that Lara speaks to Abhishek every day and always wants to confirm whether the young Indian batter needs some advice to go ahead.

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"Abhishek is a very lucky guy. He has met many big players who have shared their experiences with him. Rahul Dravid sir met him during his early days. VVS Laxman then worked on him during the IPL. Brian Lara saw him and was shocked, saying, 'Abhishek has immense talent'. Brian Lara talks with him daily. He always tells him how to build long innings and how to go about playing in different conditions. Brian Lara has always told him that he will be there for him whenever he needs some help," revealed Abhishek's father.

Raj Kumar has thanked Punjab head coach Wasim Jaffer and the Punjab Cricket Association. "I want to think of Amritsar Cricket Association and Punjab Cricket Association. When he became the captain of Punjab's Ranji Trophy team, Wasim Jaffer sir also worked with him. He is also very fond of him," he said.

The 24-year-old has spent the past few years, he has learnt from the very best, but then there is no denying that his father must take partial credit. Abhishek's love for the sport was first nurtured by Raj Kumar, who gave him his first lessons and constituted the foundation for his entire journey.

"He was fond of cricket since the very beginning. He always liked hitting sixes. When I trained him, he was just focused on hitting fours and sixes. When he was playing U14, I knew he had real talent. In U14, he scored three centuries. Then, in U16, he scored the highest runs in India, about 1200 runs, and he took 57 wickets. He was awarded by the BCCI during the Naman Awards as well," said Raj Kumar Sharma.

"Rahul Dravid sir worked on him a lot. He was the captain of the U19 Asia Cup team. He was the Man of the Series. He then went to the U19 World Cup."

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