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SRH’s Abhishek Sharma shows right focus, team first attitude
The youngster’s maiden century was the second fastest ton overall, guiding his team to an easy win over Punjab Kings
MUMBAI: One of the concerns about youngsters playing in IPL is that they can get carried away by the extra attention that early success and fame brings. It is not difficult to judge who is playing to the gallery and who is playing for the team. With so much money in the game, team first is certainly not an easy trait to inculcate among the players.
Someone like Abhishek Sharma is box-office stuff. The dashing batter’s explosive style can have fans demanding more. To maintain the competitive edge, not to get carried away by the adulation is of utmost importance.
When the runs are not coming, there’s a doubt whether it is due to technical reasons or distractions. Scores of 24, 6, 1, 2 and 18 were certainly a cause for concern for Abhishek.
On Saturday, the 24-year-old dispelled all doubts with a swashbuckling century against Punjab Kings in front of Sunrisers Hyderabad fans at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. By helping his team achieve a nearly impossible target of 246, he underlined his potential as a rare talent.
A lot of credit has to go to Yuvraj Singh. Abhishek is lucky to have someone of the stature of the former India all-rounder to work on his cricket as well as mentor him. In terms of fame, who can be a bigger superstar than the 2011 ODI World Cup and 2007 hero? The advantage with Yuvraj is that he knows the perils of fame, and knows best how to keep a young cricketer grounded and focused. It came as no surprise that after the win over Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab Kings on Saturday, Abhishek credited mentor Yuvraj Singh and India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav for being there for him during the low phase.
“Special mention to Yuvraj Paaji as well because I have been talking to him. And I won’t deny Mr Suryakumar Yadav as well, he’s been in touch, and he was there for me, he was talking to me, he knew that this is going to happen very soon so thanks to him as well,” Abhishek Sharma said at the post-match presentation.
As for Yuvraj, the mentor was pleased by the maturity Abhishek showed during the knock as he calmly took two singles to reach his hundred. Big-hitting is the left-handed batter’s strength, but in their training videos Yuvraj has often been heard emphasising on being a versatile player, and the importance of singles.
“Wah Sharma ji ke bete! 98 pe single, phir 99 pe single! Itni maturity haan, hum nahi ho rahi! Great knock Abhishek Sharma. Well played Travis Head,” Yuvraj had posted on X. “These openers are a treat to watch together. Well played, Shreyas Iyer, a treat to watch as well,” Yuvraj Singh tweeted after the match. In an earlier post too, Yuvraj had reminded the youngster from Punjab of adding singles to his game. “Sir Abhishek. Hope you take as many singles this year as you knock out of the park” Yuvraj had written.
There’s a difference between players who play for the team and those who seek individual glory. The greats of the game always emphasised how their extraordinary feats were inspired by team’s cause. Abhishek’s 55-ball 141 was the result of the extra motivation of helping end his team’s four consecutive losses. It helped him shift into extra gear. In his celebration on reaching his maiden IPL hundred, he took out a handwritten note from his pocket, showing I tpt all, that read “This one is for Orange Army (SRH’s fans)”.
“I wrote it today itself,” Abhishek said of the note, “because I usually wake up and write something. I got a random thought that if I do something today, that would be for Orange Army. Luckily, today I felt it was my day.”
