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Abhishek Sharma is presumably in Dubai for the marquee India vs Pakistan clash scheduled for Sunday, and he met Shoaib Akhtar there.
Abhishek Sharma met a former Pakistan pacer in Dubai (Picture credit: AP)
Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar on Saturday, February 22 shared a heartfelt video of himself with Abhishek Sharma, calling him an ‘exceptional talent’ and backing him to do ‘wonders in years to come’.
Abhishek, who was last seen in action in the T20I series against England earlier this month, is presumably in Dubai for the marquee India vs Pakistan clash scheduled for Sunday, and he met the legendary Pakistan pacer, who was one of the most fearsome bowlers of his time.
Akhtar was effusive in praise for the star India batter, whom he lauded for his recent T20I hundred against England. Watch the video here:
“I’m glad that I wasn’t born in this era. The reason why people like this young lad. He got a 100 and I watched your innings. It was fantastic, amazing. And I gave him a couple of advice,” Akhtar said in the video.
“Don’t leave your strength. At the same time, become a friend to people who are better than you. There is a great life ahead for this young talented guy. I wish him the best of luck,” Akhtar added.
Meanwhile, former India captain Sourav Ganguly has pitched in for handing an ODI debut to Abhishek sooner than later.
“The way Abhishek Sharma batted in the T20I series (against England) was unbelievable for a left-hander. There is no reason why he can’t play one-day cricket. A player like Abhishek Sharma would be in any cricket team in the world,” Ganguly said while speaking at an event in Kolkata.
Abhishek, who was part of India’s U19 World Cup-winning squad in 2018 besides the likes of Prithvi Shaw and Shubman Gill, rose to prominence after his brilliant performance in IPL 2024, where he scored 484 runs in 16 matches at a stunning strike rate of 204.22.
A month after IPL ended, Abhishek was handed his India cap, when he debuted against Zimbabwe in July, but was dismissed for a four-ball duck. He came back stronger to score his maiden T20I hundred in the series soon after.
