Abhishek Sharma can represent India in all three formats like Yashasvi Jaiswal: Michael Vaughan

Abhishek Sharma. (Source -Getty Images)

Michael Vaughan backed Abhishek Sharma to play for India in all three formats of the game and excel, much like fellow southpaw Yashasvi Jaiswal. Abhishek made his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut in 2018 and continued to show glimpses of his talent over the years. However, in the ongoing edition of the cash-rich league, the 23-year-old has been prolific with the bat and garnered rich praise from fans and experts alike.

The Punjab all-rounder has amassed 467 runs from 13 matches at an average of 38.92 and a strike rate of 209.42 in IPL 2024. On Sunday, May 19, Abhishek smashed a 28-ball 66 to help Sunrisers chase down a 215-run target against Punjab Kings and finish the league stage as the second-placed team on the points table.

Also Read: Top 10 Memes from SRH vs PBKS, Match 69

Former England captain Vaughan noted that Abhishek could replicate the smooth transition that Yashasvi had from IPL to international cricket. The cricketer-turned-expert said that the Amritsar-born is technically sound and compared his bat swing to the likes of Brian Lara and Yuvraj Singh.

“If you go back to the story of Yashasvi Jaiswal, he jumped the rails quickly through the IPL and the Indian side. Been a revelation in Test match cricket. Probably early to say this, but Abhishek could do exactly the same. He could easily do the same across all three formats. His technical side is excellent. He has got Brian Lara-esque and Yuvraj Singh-type swing of the willow,” Vaughan said while speaking to Cricbuzz.

“Yashasvi has been a wonderful story, you don’t see many like that. Just arrive on the international stage and look like they have been playing for 15 years. But I think Abhishek isn’t far off,” Vaughan added.

Also Read: IPL 2024: Match 69, Stats Review: Most sixes in an IPL season and other stats from SRH vs PBKS

Abhishek hit six sixes during his epic knock against Punjab and went past Virat Kohli’s tally of most sixes in a particular edition of the IPL. The youngster currently has 41 sixes to his name in IPL 2024. Vaughan was in awe of Abhishek’s record-breaking performance.

“When you think about how much talent has and how many great Indian batters are there in the IPL and he is top of the tree. Fantastic,” said Vaughan.