Abhishek Sharma compared to the Great Brian Lara; said to have been playing professional cricket for 15 years

Former England captain and commentator Michael Vaughan heaped praise on the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) young opener Abhishek Sharma, drawing comparisons to the meteoric rise of Indian batter Yashasvi Jaiswal after his heroics in the ongoing IPL 2024.

Vaughan noted that Jaiswal quickly progressed through the IPL ranks to the Indian cricket team and has made a significant impact in Test cricket. The Englishman believes that Abhishek has the potential to follow a similar path across all three formats of the game.

Michael Vaughan predicts a bright future for Abhishek Sharma

He further highlighted Abhishek’s technical skills and even compared his batting style to legends like Brian Lara and Yuvraj Singh. Vaughan expressed confidence in the SRH star’s talent, as he predicted that the young all-rounder could soon become one of the top Indian batters in the IPL.

His comments came after Abhishek delivered yet another Player of the Match performance for the SRH in the ongoing IPL 2024 on Sunday, May 19. The 23-year-old played a sizzling knock of 66 runs off just 28 balls, laced with five boundaries and six sixes, against the Punjab Kings (PBKS).

With his fantastic knock, the left-handed batter helped the SRH chase down the 215-run target set by the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the final over with four wickets in hand and five balls to spare at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday.

Abhishek Sharma could follow Yashasvi Jaiswal’s path: Michael Vaughan

Michael Vaughan was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz: “If you go back to the story of Yashasvi Jaiswal, he jumped the rails quickly through the IPL and the Indian side. Been a revelation in Test match cricket. Probably early to say this, but Abhishek could do exactly the same. He could easily do the same across all three formats. His technical side is excellent.

He has got Brian Lara-esque and Yuvraj Singh-type swing of the willow. Yashasvi has been a wonderful story, you don't see many like that. Just arrived on the international stage and looks like they have been playing for 15 years. But I think Abhishek isn't far off. When you think about how much talent has and how many great Indian batters are there in the IPL he is top of the tree. Fantastic.”

Notably, with the impressive win over the PBKS, SRH finished the league phase of the ongoing IPL 2024 on top-2 of the standings with 17 points, and now they are set to face the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Qualifier 1 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 21.

On the other hand, Abhishek has been on song with the bat in the ongoing IPL 2024, as the SRH opener has so far amassed 467 runs at an average of 38.92 and a strike rate of 209.41 in 13 games. Abhishek also smoked the most number of sixes in the ongoing IPL 2024, with 41 sixes to his name.