"He does not work hard on his bowling as much as he does on his batting" - Indian spin legend on Abhishek Sharma

Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh believes that Abhishek Sharma can be a good left-arm spinner if he works hard on his bowling. Harbhajan urged the swashbuckling batter to take his bowling seriously.

Abhishek broke several records during his scintillating knock of 135, which came off just 54 balls in the fifth and final T20I against England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, February 2. The left-handed batter's innings featured seven fours and as many as 13 sixes as Team India put up 247-9 on the board after being asked to bat first.

In the chase, England were rolled over for 97 in 10.3 overs. While pacer Mohammed Shami claimed three wickets, Abhishek picked up two wickets in the only over he bowled in the match. He dismissed Brydon Carse for three and Jamie Overton for one. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan shared his thoughts on Abhishek's bowling ability and said (as quoted by NDTV):

"I want Abhishek Sharma to bowl regularly. When he came the first day, I told him he is a good bowler. His seam position is great. He does not work hard on his bowling as much as he does on his batting. I always tell him, he can improve his bowling. He has all the qualities to be a good left-arm spinner. His father has worked hard on him."

Shifting focus to the young Punjab cricketer's batting ability, Harbhajan described him as a fearless batter and added:

"Abhishek is making his family proud. It's not easy to score 100 off 37 balls. Kya kha raha hai bhai breakfast mein (What are you having for breakfast)?" He is a fearless batter be it any format. I am happy to see his progress."

Harbhajan further opined that the current Indian team seems ready for the 2026 T20 World Cup. The Men in Blue are defending champions in the T20 format, having won the 2024 edition under Rohit Sharma. He said:

"This team is ready for the 2026 T20 World Cup. India defeated England by defending as well as chasing. We have players who can break the opposition."

Abhishek was the leading run-getter in the T20I series against England. In five matches, he scored 279 runs at an average of 55.80 and a strike rate of 219.69.

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Abhishek Sharma's T20I stats

Following an impressive IPL 2024 season for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Abhishek was handed his T20I debut in July 2024. In 17 matches so far, he has scored 535 runs at an average of 33.43 and a strike rate of 193.84, with two tons and two fifties.

With his left-arm spin, the 24-year-old has picked up six scalps at an average of 25.50 and an economy rate of 8.05. Before his two-wicket haul in Mumbai, he had claimed 1-12 in the Chennai T20I.