'If you could control Abhishek Sharma's nightlife...': Reason behind 'chappal' emoji in Yuvraj Singh's tweet revealed
Yograj Singh opened up on how his son, Yuvraj, trained the Sunrisers Hyderabad star Abhishek Sharma
Former Indian cricketer Yograj Singh opened up on the viral reference of "chappal (slipper)" in Yuvraj Singh's tweets on India batter Abhishek Sharma and revealed how his son, an India legend and a two-time World Cup-winner, trained the Sunrisers Hyderabad star.
In March 2024, Abhishek won the Player of the Match award for his fiery 23-ball 63 in SRH's 31-run win against Mumbai Indians in a high-scoring thriller. The youngster also broke the record for the fastest fifth by an SRH batter, reaching the mark in just 16 balls. But Yuvraj wasn't entirely pleased with the knock as he wanted his apprentice to bring up the triple-figure score.
"Waah sir Abhishek waah great innings but what a splendid shot to get out on! Laaton ke bhoot baaton se nahi maante! Special chappal waiting for you now Abhishek Sharma," Yuvraj had written on X.
The 'chappal' reference was brought up again earlier this year when Abhishek notched up a record 135 against England in a T20I series at home. An ecstatic Yuvraj reacted to the knock, saying: "Well played @IamAbhiSharma4! That's where I want to see you! Proud of you." But Abhishek took a cheeky dig saying he was happy to see a message which did not end with a threat of getting 'hit by a chappal.'
What is the 'chappal' reference?
Speaking to former Indian cricketer Taruwar Kohli on his podcast, 'Find a Way', Yograj said that when he first saw Abhishek playing, he warned Yuvraj of controlling his "nightlife" and having his focus entirely on cricket. He admitted that Yuvraj was strict about following instructions.
"When Abhishek was playing, I said if you could control his nightlife, Yuvraj did exactly that, and did not let him go here and there. He kept the shoes in his hands...that reference to slippers...so he turned out okay. Wild horses need to be tamed by catching their hair firmly," he said.
Abhishek is currently in the midst of the IPL 2025 season. SRH retained him for INR 14 crore. On Thursday, he will be in action at home in SRH's match against Lucknow Super Giants.
