When Yuvraj Singh struggled with age-related concerns while playing top-flight cricket under intense scrutiny, no coach could see into his 20-year-old mind.
A little more than 20 years later, Yuvraj says he is happy to have changed into that coach who can read Abhishek Sharma’s mind as he dominates T20 International cricket with his incredible strokeplay.
“You have been looking at it for last 8-9 months but Abhishek has been working on his game for last four to five years. In terms of coaching, at the beginning it was more about sharing my experiences with him and Shubman (Gill) when I was on the verge of retirement,” Yuvraj said.
The 44-year-old believes that improving Abhishek’s game over the past three years has helped him grasp the subtleties of mentoring and coaching, something he missed when he was younger.
“I think working with Abhishek over the years has also kind of made me understand that what are the things that you need to do as a coach, or as a mentor.”
“I have also learnt through that journey how to help a talent grow and whatever programmes that we did and whatever targets that we have, it is because he has worked so hard to reach and that’s why the performances are showing.
“The work ethic that Abhishek has shown and effort that he has put in is not just for the last 6-9 months, it is the work of last four to five years and now the results are showing,” he elaborated.
It is widely known that during the COVID-19 lockdown, Abhishek and his close friend Shubman Gill camped at Yuvraj’s Chandigarh home, where the two-time World Cup winner served as their mentor.
Although Yuvraj’s father, Yograj Singh, was known to be a tough disciplinarian during his early years, the dashing southpaw was eager to deny any similarities when discussing his coaching style.
“I’m definitely nothing like Yograj Singh. I’m a very different person and a very different personality. My style of coaching is very different.
“I believe when you are coaching someone or mentoring someone, you need to be in their shoes and you need to understand their mindset, what they are going through rather than telling them what to do.
“It has to be like a push and pull. You take some and you give some. So it is important to understand how to be in the head of a 19-year-old,” Yuvraj underlined his methodology.
He was in and out of the Indian squad when he was younger, and the strain of adjusting to the demands of elite cricket weighed him down.
“When I was a 19-year-old, nobody understood the challenges that I was facing. So when I see a 19 or a 20-year-old, I know exactly what challenges they are facing mentally.
“…it is about listening to them and understanding their mindset and working accordingly rather than telling them what to do.”
Since joining the Indian T20 team as an opener, Abhishek has practically altered the way India approaches batting in the shortest format.
Yuvraj gives captain Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir full credit.
“I think the fearlessness also comes with support from coach and the captain and I think when the coach and captain allow you to go and play your game, fearlessly, it gives you an opportunity to express yourself and that’s where I come from as well.”
He drew a parallel with Gary Kirsten’s tenure in the Indian setup, recalling how he played some of his best ODI cricket during that period — particularly in the unforgettable 2011 World Cup.
“When Gary Kirsten was the coach, he would always tell me that if you go and play your game and if you play the way you do, you will put India in a winning position.
“…Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav have given him (the confidence) by telling him that if you go and play your game, you will put India in a winning position 6 out of 10 times and that is what he is doing,” he signed off.
