'Special Thanks To...': Abhishek Sharma Credits Yuvraj And 'This' Special Person For Maiden T20I Ton
Abhishek gives credit to Yuvraj and his father for maiden T20I ton [BCCI]
After scoring a duck on his T20I debut, Abhishek Sharma redeemed himself with a breath-taking maiden T20I ton against Zimbabwe in the second T20I on Sunday.
The southpaw played some delightful strokes and brought up his century in just 46-deliveries to propel India to a series-levelling victory.
In reply, Zimbabwe looked toothless with the bat and were bundled out for just 134, thus handling India a massive 100-run win. With that scintillating century, Abhishek also became India's joint-third fastest T20I centurion.
Abhishek dedicates maiden T20I ton to father, and Yuvraj Singh
After the game, the talented Punjab batter reflected on the victory, and dedicated it to two special people in his life. He credited the maiden T20I ton to his 'idol' Yuvraj Singh and his father for helping him become a power-hitter.
“Yuvi paaji (Yuvraj Singh) has made a big contribution. I don’t consider myself as sixer-king or something like that. Special thanks to my dad for allowing me to play lofted shots," he said.
“Generally, coaches don’t allow a young batter to hit lofted shots. But my dad always said if you wanted to play a lofted shot then it should go out of the ground. So, I wanted to follow that.”
Abhishek also talked about his bond with captain Shubman Gill. The two played together at the Under-12 level and share a special bond with each other.
“It has been quite beautiful, starting as kids of 11-12 years. Yeah, we are playing together from Under-12. When I was selected for the country, the first call I received was from Shubman,” he said.
The Indian opener will be next seen in action in the 3rd T20I against Zimbabwe, which will take place on Wednesday at the Harare Sports Club.