There is something special about left-handed batsmen. One of the most special of all is Yuvraj Singh, India’s twin World Cups hero, one of the greatest white-ball all-rounders and hitters.
The former cricketer himself has lavished huge praise on young Sunrisers Hyderabad’s left-handed opener Abhishek Sharma. Impressed by the 21-year-old Punjab batsman, Yuvraj even went on to say that some of Abhishek’s shot reminds him of his batting style.
“I think when I see Abhishek (Sharma), he reminds me a lot about myself. The pull shot, the backfoot shot he hits, I felt I was very much like him,” Yuvraj said on Sports18.
Having made his IPL debut in 2018, and being rotated in the batting order, Abhishek Sharma is having his breakthrough IPL season after SRH decided to give him a long run as an opener.
He started the season with a couple of low scores but hit form in this third match with a brilliant match-winning 75-run knock off 50 balls vs Chennai Super Kings, and hasn’t looked back since, taking down opposition bowlers in the powerplay with his calm aggression. Abhishek has scored 331 runs at a strike rate of 132.40 and is currently SRH’s highest run-scorer in the season so far.
Another left-hander who has impressed Yuvraj Singh is Shivam Dube, who is having his best IPL season with the bat after being given the role of middle-overs basher in his new franchise, Chennai Super Kings.
Dube is CSK’s second-leading run-scorer at the moment, having plundered 279 runs at a strike rate of 160. Yuvraj said he liked Dube’s style, recalling that the all-rounder is 28 and feels he should be given more chances in the Indian team.
“Shivam Dube also has that style, but he has been there for a long time. He is 28 years old and I do not know how much ODI cricket he has played. If you feel that guys have the talent, you need to give them more chances. Shivam or anyone, you have to give them more chances to help them get better,” Yuvraj said of Dube.
Dube has represented the Indian team in one ODI and 13 T20Is across 2019 and 2020 and was ousted when Hardik Pandya was fit and firing.
