"I was inspired by watching him play here" - Abhishek Sharma revisits memories of Yuvraj Singh’s 6 sixes in Durban during the 2007 T20 World Cup
Young Indian batter Abhishek Sharma recalled his memories of Yuvraj Singh's iconic six sixes against England in Durban in 2007 ahead of the Men in Blue's first T20I against South Africa at the same venue on Friday, November 8. Abhishek stated that he was inspired by watching Yuvraj's six sixes in Durban, adding he never thought that he would get a chance to play on the same ground.
Yuvraj created history by clobbering Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over during the 2007 T20 World Cup clash at Kingsmead in Durban. The southpaw slammed 58 off 16 balls, a whirlwind knock that featured three fours and seven sixes. India posted 218-4 and won the contest by 18 runs.
In a video posted on BCCI.tv, Abhishek is seen at the Durban stadium, revisiting his memories of Yuvraj's iconic achievement. He said (as quoted by TOI):
"I have come here for the time, but when saw it (the ground) on TV and now that I am here, it's like a dream come true. I was inspired by Yuvraj Singh's six sixes in 2007. The first day when I came here I was trying to figure out from what end to which end he had hit the sixes. He had sixes all over the ground, it's a great memory."
Recalling how he celebrated after India's win in the high-octane clash against England, the 24-year-old added:
"I still remember I was watching the match with my family at home and when we won the match, the whole colony came out and we celebrated the victory. It hadn't occurred to me that I will get a chance to play here (Durban) but I had up my mind that cricket would be my career. I am sure that Yuvraj will watch me playing here as I was inspired by watching him play here. My message for him (Yuvraj) is that I will try my best and will him proud."
Led by MS Dhoni, Team India went on to win the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, beating arch-rivals Pakistan by five runs in a tense final in Johannesburg.
Abhishek Sharma's T20I record so far
Following an impressive IPL 2024 season for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Abhishek made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in Harare in July. The left-hander was dismissed for a duck.
He, however, smashed 100 off 47 balls in the second T20I at the same venue. In eight T20Is so far, the Punjab batter has scored 159 runs at an average of 22.71 and a strike rate of 170.96.
Speaking of the four-match India-South Africa T20I series, the games will be played in Durban, Gqeberha, Centurion, and Johannesburg on November 8, 10, 13, and 15, respectively.