T20 World Cup: Abhishek Sharma will deliver in final: Yograj Singh

Will Abhishek Sharma fire in the final? Will India lift the World T20 Cup in Ahmedabad on Sunday? For Yograj Singh, former India cricketer and father of Yuvraj Singh, the answers are straightforward. “India will lift the trophy and Abhishek is going to deliver big in the final,” Yograj said.

Having seen Sharma struggle throughout the tournament, particularly against off-spinners, even his staunchest supporters might harbour some doubts. Yograj, however, has none. According to him, Abhishek is merely going through a temporary lean phase — something that even greats like Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Viv Richards and Virat Kohli have experienced during their illustrious careers.

“Abhishek is one of India’s best and we need to be patient with him. Look at how Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson have performed after going through lean patches,” Yograj said. While firmly backing Abhishek, Yograj added that the left-hander needs to spend some time at the crease before going all out against the bowlers.

“T20 cricket is not only about hitting fours and sixes. A batter must also rotate the strike and look for singles and doubles. He is still improving and will eventually become one of our best players. So there is no need to worry about him,” he said.

Yograj also played down concerns about Abhishek repeatedly falling to off-spinners during the tournament.

“Off-spinners can trouble left-handers. Even players like Brian Lara and Yuvraj Singh have faced problems against them. In Abhishek’s case, his head is falling back when he tries to drive or loft the spinners. I am sure his coach Yuvraj Singh has noticed this and the issue will be corrected,” he said.

“Yuvraj has done a phenomenal job with him. I strongly believe we will see a big knock from Abhishek in the final,” Yograj added.

As for India’s chances in the title clash, Yograj sounded confident of the hosts lifting their second consecutive World T20 trophy. “The team looked a bit overconfident when they lost to South Africa, but since then it has settled into a good rhythm. I have no doubt that India will lift the trophy on Sunday,” he said.