Former spinner Harbhajan Singh has expressed his desire to see Abhishek Sharma to focus more on his bowling.
He believes the opener possesses the potential of a full-time leg-spinner and asked him to enhance his bowling skills which could enable him to contribute to the team in multiple ways.
Harbhajan Singh’s comments come after Abhishek Sharma picked two wickets in the Men in Blues 150-run victory during the fifth T20I match of the England tour of India 2025 at Wankhede.
Abhishek Sharma struck 13 sixes, the most by an Indian batter in a T20I innings after a a century sending the England bowler on a leather hunt as India posted a formidable total of 247 runs.
Abhishek made an impact with the ball, claiming two wickets as England were bundled out for 97 in just 10.3 overs.
“I want to see Abhishek bowl a bit more. He is a very good bowler. When I saw him early in his career, I noticed his seam position was excellent. However, he doesn’t put as much effort into his bowling as he does into his batting,” Harbhajan said.
“Every time he meets me, I remind him even now that we need to talk about his bowling first. Batting is his first love, and he will continue to excel at it. But he can certainly work more on his bowling. He possesses all the qualities of a good left-arm spinner.
“He is a hard-working guy, and his father has been equally dedicated to his career,” he added.
Meanwhile Harbhajan Singh recalled recognising Abhishek’s spark as early as 2017, when the left handed batter made his Ranji Trophy debut under Harbhajan’s captaincy for Punjab.
He also noted that Abhishek displayed fearlessness from his very first match. At the age of 17, Abhishek Sharma scored 94 runs on debut and scored 202 runs in four matches.
“He was fearless from the start. He doesn’t concern himself with the bowler’s reputatiom if the ball is in his arc, he will go for the shot.”
“I remember a four-day game where the mid-wicket was on the boundary and a left-arm spinner was bowling. But Abhishek stepped out and hit a six.”
“I didn’t want to change him. He was naturally fearless, and if I could help him improve, I was always willing,” Harbhajan said.
Abhishek Sharma finished as the leading run scorer in the five match series, amassing 279 runs nearly double the tally of second placed Jos Buttler.
The three match ODI series is set to be played on February 06 at VCA Stadium.
