Suresh Raina selected Abhishek Sharma as the batter who may emulate his fearless playing style in the current Indian team. The former Indian cricketer was the first to score centuries in all three formats for the Men in Blue in international matches. He was also a prolific run scorer in the Indian Premier League (IPL), helping the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) win five titles.
Abhishek, on the other hand, had a standout performance in the IPL 2024, hitting boundaries with ease against some of the world’s best bowlers. He eventually won a position in the Indian T20 squad and scored his first international century in only his second game. Since then, Abhishek has delivered some thrilling innings, depending on his hyper-aggressive attitude with the willow.
Raina said that he enjoys watching Abhishek bat and revealed that the Punjab all-rounder is mentored by the legendary Yuvraj Singh.
“Abhishek Sharma. I really love the way he plays, fearless. Yuvi pa has trained him a lot,” Raina said when asked to pick a batter who could be his next version, on the Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube channel.
I feel Yashasvi Jaiswal has a different work ethic: Suresh Raina
Apart from Abhishek, Raina also picked two other left-handed batters – Priyansh Arya and Yashasvi Jaiswal – who could do well for the country. While talking about Yashasvi, Raina said that the Mumbai batter has a fighting spirit and praised his game awareness.
“I think Priyansh Arya can also be a very dominating player. However, I feel Yashasvi Jaiswal has a different work ethic. There is a fighting spirit. He scored a hundred in Australia and England. His game awareness is very good,” Raina opined.
Priyansh Arya is yet to earn his maiden India call-up. However, he impressed with the bat for Punjab Kings in IPL 2025, finishing with 475 runs in 17 innings at a strike rate of 179.25. Meanwhile, Yashasvi narrowly missed out on a spot in India’s squad for the Asia Cup, where Abhishek Sharma is expected to open the batting with either Sanju Samson or Shubman Gill.
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