Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar has praised Abhishek Sharma for playing a stunning knock in the first T20I against Afghanistan. He added that the left-handed opener hits massive sixes, much like his mentor Yuvraj Singh. Afghanistan set India a 157-run target in Delhi on Sunday, September 13. Abhishek hit 82 runs off 32 balls in the chase to help the team register an emphatic seven-wicket win with 38 balls to spare as well.

During a discussion on Sony Sports, Gavaskar said, “He has got such great timing. His follow-through goes right behind, just like Yuvraj. When Yuvraj hit that ball, it invariably went into the stands. Very seldom did you see a Yuvraj Singh six which went just over the boundary rope. He (Abhishek) was giving catching practice more to the crowd and the parking attendants than to the ball boys. He has got this capability of destroying attacks, taking the initiative, and destroying the bowler’s confidence. That’s why you have got to be prepared to accept that there will be times when he will not be scoring runs.”

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However, Sunil Gavaskar named Abhishek Sharma a game-changer and game-breaker as well.

“A couple of sixes that he hit off Noor (Ahmad) were off perfectly good deliveries. It’s a rare ability to hit good balls for boundaries and sixes, and he has that ability, which is the reason he is a game-changer. He is a game-breaker as well. He got 11 runs in three innings in Zimbabwe, but when you have the batting lineup that India has, you actually want this kind of an approach in the first half a dozen overs when there are just two fielders outside, because you still have the capability to recover. You don’t want to lose three wickets for 30 runs in the first six overs, but if you have somebody like him and even Sanju, if they get going, it’s going to be amazing,” Sunil Gavaskar concluded.