Brian Lara Impressed With Abhishek Sharma’s Desire To Play Test Cricket

Abhishek Sharma has made his name in world cricket with his high-intensity swashbuckling batting, and Brian Lara, who had worked with him in the Indian Premier League setup of Sunrisers Hyderabad, is one of his admirers as well. 

He said that the Yuvraj Singh impression is quite visible in the way Abhishek plays his game. However, what really impressed Lara about Abhishek is his desire to play Test cricket for India. 

“I know Abhishek from my time at SRH. I was there during the Covid years. He is an amazing young player, and I think he is something very special," Lara said in an event organised by CEAT in Mumbai.

"Yuvraj Singh has had a big influence on him — his bat speed, the way he hits the ball, the way he plays through the line. You can see the Yuvraj effect in him. He gives me a call once in a while, and what stands out is that despite his success in T20s, he still wants to find a way to get into the Test team, which is great. For someone like that to think so big is very special," he added.

Lara feels great to see Abhishek improve despite not having a soft spot for him, as he recently earned the Player of the tournament award in the Asia Cup as well. 

“I don't have a soft spot per se, but I’ve grown very fond of him. It’s great to see how much he has improved and how far he has come. He’s taken his game to another level,” Lara added.