“You have to make a place for him to play 50-over cricket” - Yuvraj Singh’s huge statement on India star amid NZ vs IND 2026 series

Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has backed Abhishek Sharma for a place in India’s ODI side before the 2027 World Cup, arguing that a batter who has dominated T20 cricket for two years should not still be waiting for a 50-over debut. Abhishek boasts a remarkable T20I record with 2,267 runs in 71 T20Is, including four centuries and 14 fifties.

His 50-over record is solid rather than dominant, with 2,225 runs at an average of 33.71, including four hundreds and eight fifties.

Talking about Abhishek's ODI prospects, Yuvraj told Cricbuzz (via NDTV):

"There are always areas to improve, and I think unless you give a player a chance, where is he going to showcase his talent? I understand that the situation is difficult right now because there is so much competition for places in the squad, along with some big names. But look at Suryavanshi. He was brilliant and made his own place in the T20 squad. If you feel that Abhishek is performing brilliantly at the moment, then somewhere you have to make a place for him to play 50-over cricket until the World Cup."

He added:

"Whether he has scored 35, 100 or 31, 100, the point is that he has been performing consistently in white-ball cricket for a very long time. What more does he need to do to get into the ODI squad? I don't know. Maybe he needs to contribute more with his bowling and fielding. But that will only happen if he gets an opportunity to play."

Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill remain India's first-choice ODI openers, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, with two hundreds in six ODIs, was still third in line for the recent West Indies series.

"Too early to say whether he has the makings of a captain" - Yuvraj Singh on Abhishek Sharma's leadership qualities

Yuvraj Singh believes Abhishek Sharma has what it takes to captain a side at the highest levels. However, the former all-rounder urged the youngster to lead an IPL side before having national leadership aspirations.

"Well, it's too early to say whether he has the makings of a captain, but I feel he has all the qualities of a leader. I think he encourages the younger guys in state cricket as well. If you want to captain India one day, I think it's important to captain your IPL side. That gives you the kind of confidence you need to lead India," said Yuvraj (via the aforementioned source).

Abhishek has never captained in the IPL. He was Sunrisers Hyderabad’s vice-captain in 2026 while Ishan Kishan led in Pat Cummins’s absence. He has led elsewhere: India to the Under-19 Asia Cup title in 2016, India Under-19 in the 2017 Youth ODIs against England, and Punjab in all three formats.

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