Abhishek Sharma’s father, Rajkumar Sharma, has credited Yuvraj Singh’s “tough love” and relentless mentorship as the driving force behind his son’s meteoric rise to the top of the ICC T20I batting rankings. The 25-year-old Punjab southpaw currently leads the 2025 charts with 756 runs in 17 matches at an average of 47.25 and a strike rate touching 170, including a century and five fifties.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Rajkumar revealed that even today, whenever Abhishek makes a technical or mental error, Yuvraj does not hesitate to call and give him an earful. “Abhishek is actually scared of Yuvi paaji,” he laughed. “That fear keeps him disciplined. One mistake and the phone rings—‘Oye, ki karda si tu? (What were you doing?)’—and the session starts.”

The bond began when a teenage Abhishek started training under Yuvraj at his academy in Chandigarh. Rajkumar recalls Yuvraj making the youngster bowl long spells in the nets, field for hours, and face throwdowns till midnight, all while constantly pushing him to think bigger. “Yuvi paaji told him, ‘If you want to play for India, you can’t be satisfied with domestic runs. You have to dominate bowlers like they owe you money.’ That attitude stuck.”

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Interestingly, Yuvraj and West Indies legend Brian Lara have also been teaching Abhishek golf in the off-season—a sport that has dramatically improved his bat swing. “The golf swing has made his downswing cleaner and given him better control over the bat face,” Rajkumar explained.

Abhishek’s work ethic borders on obsession: gym at 4 a.m., running, swimming, then nets. When there are no official matches, he plays club games or office tournaments for Indian Oil just to stay in rhythm. “He never wants the bat to feel cold,” his father said proudly.

With India’s T20I top order under scrutiny after the Mullanpur defeat, Abhishek’s explosive consistency has made him one of the few untouchables in Gautam Gambhir’s plans, proving once again that Yuvraj Singh’s academy produces not just cricketers, but match-winners.

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