In an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times, Abhishek Sharma’s father and childhood coach, Raj Kumar Sharma revealed how the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Shikhar Dhawan and Brian Lara helped his son prepare for the T20I series against England.
As per Raj Kumar, Yuvraj has played an influential role in helping shape Abhishek’s career from scratch. Looking at his talent in the Ranji Trophy, the former Indian all-rounder trained the youngster under his supervision.
Further, Raj Kumar disclosed that Abhishek Sharma had a five-day session with Yuvraj Singh before the England series in Gurugram. Along with working on his batting skills, Yuvraj laid emphasis on Sharma’s left-arm spin bowling as well.
The training sessions certainly helped Abhishek as he smashed 135 off 54 balls and took two wickets in the final T20I against England in Mumbai, which helped India win the series 4-1. Interestingly, he hit the most sixes (13) by an Indian in a T20I inning as well.
Raj Kumar Sharma said:
“Yuvraj spoke to Abhishek before the England series. Abhishek had five spare days. He had just reached Amritsar. On the same day, Yuvraj called him and asked him to come to Gurugram. Yuvraj then trained with him for five days. He prepared him mentally, changed his mindset, and asked him to play longer innings. He asked him how to go about building an inning. Before the England series, Abhishek trained with Yuvraj regarding both batting and bowling. Yuvraj’s entire team is focused on Abhishek. Someone works on his gym aspect while someone else deals with running and other activities.”
Raj Kumar mentioned the help provided by former Indian opener Dhawan as well. He added:
“Shikhar [Dhawan] worked on him as well. He shared his experiences with him. He told him how to go about his batting when playing in the Indian conditions. He also spent 5-6 days with him.”
Brian Lara talks daily with Abhishek Sharma

Abhishek Sharma’s father also disclosed that former West Indies captain Brian Lara values his son’s talent and interacts with him daily. The bond between the duo kickstarted when Lara served as a batting coach (2022) and head coach (2023) of the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL.
“Brian Lara saw him and was shocked, saying, ‘Abhishek has immense talent’. Brian Lara talks with him daily. He always tells him how to build long innings and how to go about playing in different conditions. Brian Lara has always told him that he will be there for him whenever he needs some help.”
The Hyderabad-based franchise parted ways with Brian Lara due to a bottom-place finish after the 2023 season. Interestingly, Abhishek Sharma slammed 484 runs in the 2024 season and played a key role to take the Sunrisers to the playoffs.