Brian Lara lauds Abhishek’s rise but points out one area the top T20I batter needs to work on

Brian Lara was perhaps the most stylish left-hander of all time, and above that, one of the greatest batters. Known for oozing class with his elegant strokeplay, he knows a bit or two about the bat swing and technicalities and upon being asked about the top T20I batter Abhishek Sharma’s rise, he had all but praises for the Indian batter. However, he pointed out one area where the left-handed opener must work on, which, he feels, would elevate him to the next level. Speaking at the CEAT Awards in Mumbai on Tuesday evening, Lara shed light on Abhishek’s game.

Abhishek was the highest run-scorer during the 2025 Asia Cup, hitting 315 runs in seven contested matches. Although he failed to score big against Pakistan in the grand finale in Dubai, his tally helped him attain the highest-ever ratings by any T20I batter, besides becoming the ranked-number-one batter in the shortest format.

Having coached Abhishek during his time at the SRH, Lara talked highly of perhaps the most-talked-about Indian cricketer.

“Well, I know Abhishek from SRH. I was there during the COVID times, maybe three or four years ago. And he’s an amazing young player. They had a lot of great young players in that squad that I was with, not just Abhishek. But I think he’s something very special. I think Yuvraj Singh had a big influence on him. His bat speed, the way he hits the ball, the way he hits through the ball,” Lara said.

Still amazed by his rapid rise in T20 cricket, Lara feels Abhishek has ticked almost all boxes but must find a way to break into the Test team.

“What’s an amazing thing, you know, he would give me a call and even though with the success that he’s having in T20 cricket, and maybe even in 50 over cricket, he still wants to find a way to get into the test team, which is great for someone like that, to think, you know, that big is very special. So it’s not a soft spot. I think it’s someone who I’ve grown very fond of, his cricket. And it’s great to see that he’s sort of improved and gone into a different level,” Lara added.

Meanwhile, Abhishek will be seen in action during the five-match T20I series against Australia.