Abhishek Sharma Told 'Making Reels' Not Your Job: 'Don't Take Cricket For Granted'

Last Updated:March 26, 2026, 09:20 IST

Rising India star Abhishek Sharma has been criticised by Yograj Singh who claims the youngster is taking cricket for granted.

Abhishek Sharma may have won the T20 World Cup title in his maiden appearance but as far as individual performance is concerned, he had a mixed campaign. The world’s top-ranked T20I batter made a horrendous start to his tournament with three straight ducks in the opening round even as India won all their four games to enter the Super 8 stage.

He managed to get off the mark in India’s big defeat to South Africa before indicating he’s back in form with a fine half-century in a must-win game against Zimbabwe.

However, he followed that with two single-digit scores against the West Indies and England leading to suggestions that the team may be better off if he’s benched.

The team management though persisted with their star batter whose fearless approach was one of the prime reasons why India were branded outright favourites to win the world cup for a second time in a row.

In the final, Abhishek was back in his elements and blasted a 19-ball fifty against New Zealand to set base for India’s historic triumph.

Abhishek’s tournament may have ended on a high but former India cricketer Yograj Singh reckons that the 25-year-old is getting distracted while claiming he’s taking the game for granted.

“You fail because your mind is somewhere else. What is happening to Shubman Gill, Abhishek? The failure comes only when your mind is diverted somewhere else. That is what is happening with Abhishek. The guy walks around doing reels, that isn’t his job. He should bloody well go to bed at 9 PM, wake up at 5 AM, and play a thousand balls," Yograj told InsideSport.

Abhishek regularly credits India legend Yuvraj Singh – Yograj’s son – for helping develop his game.

“It would take him another age to go closer to Yuvraj Singh. The whole universe works on discipline. That’s how cricketers should work. Where are cricketers going wrong? Parties, girls, money, shooting all the time," he said.

Yograj also expressed his displeasure at Abhishek, who has an excellent T20I career strike-rate of 190.46, for trying to hit every ball in the air.

“I’m very disgusted with him (Sharma). There are times when I drop him messages – don’t take this game for granted. He will always say ‘yes, sir’. There is something called a single, a double, and a boundary. Every time you cannot hit the ball in the air. You cannot keep hitting sixes and entertaining the crowd. You will fail," he said.

News cricket Abhishek Sharma Told 'Making Reels' Not Your Job: 'Don't Take Cricket For Granted'

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