‘Only if we apply our brains properly’ – Yuvraj Singh shows no mercy to Abhishek Sharma’s Gwalior dismissal

Yuvraj Singh and Abhishek Sharma. (Source – Twitter/X)

India squared off against Bangladesh for the first T-20 international, played at the Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium, Gwalior on Sunday, October 06. The Men in Blue were chasing a small target of 128 runs, but Abhishek Sharma had different plans when India came out for the chase. He opened alongside Sanju Samson and went blitzkrieg in his seven-ball appearance. He smashed two boundaries and one maximum and departed, scoring 16 runs with a strike rate of 228.57.

While the southpaw showed contentment with his brief innings via Instagram post, his mentor and former India batter, Yuvraj Singh, showed his dismay, pointing out his dismissal. On the final ball of the second over, Samson pushed one towards mid-wicket and Abhishek rushed for a single which was a death trap, and got run out. Yuvraj highlighted the confusion that occurred in the middle and asked the youngster to apply brains.

Shlok Seth commented on Sharma’s Instagram picture ‘Can feel a big one coming’, to which Yuvraj replied, ‘Only if we apply our brains properly.’

Here’s Yuvraj Singh’s reply on Abhishek’s Instagram post:

It’s important that you get big scores if you want to compete: Yuvraj

Yuvraj has been working closely with Abhishek for some years now. The duo share a mentor and student bond and former India all-rounder seems to have taken the onus of shaping the 24-year-old’s batting skill set. Abhishek has been vocal about the crucial role Yuvraj is playing in his sporting life. Yuvraj on the other hand is vouching to see the Punjab batter convert his starts into big scores.

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“His performance definitely is better. His strike rate has been phenomenal, but big scores haven’t come. With this kind of strike rate, it’s important that you get big scores if you want to compete for a spot to play for India. Great strike rates, yes, but there have to be a couple of big knocks to make sure that you are worthwhile to play for India,” Yuvraj had said as quoted by Cricbuzz.

For the unversed, Abhishek debuted for India in the T20I series against Zimbabwe in July. The opener got out for a duck on his debut international game and went on to notch up a ton in the subsequent game. He scored 100 in just 47 deliveries, laced with seven boundaries and eight maximums. However, the batter is yet to impress more in the international arena as much as he did in IPL 2024 with Sunrisers Hyderabad.