"Hit a Dhoni style helicopter cover drive" - Former India star  impressed with Abhishek Sharma's stroke play in IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 match

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin observed how Abhishek Sharma struck a helicopter shot through the off side for a boundary during the Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 stage match against Pakistan. The Men in Blue secured a six-wicket win after chasing down the 172-run target at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, September 21.

The opening batter struck a sublime 74 runs off 39 deliveries to headline the run chase. He recorded six fours and five sixes to score the third fifty of his T20I career, and guiding India to a safe position before his dismissal in the 13th over.

To reach the 50-run milestone, the left-handed batter played a sublime shot through the off side off Abrar Ahmed's bowling, dissecting the fielders in the deep to perfection. Bowling from around the wicket, the spinner bowled into Sharma. But, the batter shifted to his right to make room, before carving the ball to perfection.

Ashwin opined that the stroke reminded him of MS Dhoni, as he used to play similar strokes with his strong bottom hand in his time.

"Abhishek Sharma hit an inside-out MS Dhoni-style helicopter cover drive. Everybody will talk about the five sixes that he hit, but I want to talk about this cover drive, because there was finesse in this shot. Despite only having one bat swing, he is able to adjust his down swing. If one batter, with one down swing, is able to make batting look so easy, then why will you not watch that batsman day in and day out," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

Abhishek Sharma is now the leading run-scorer in the Asia Cup 2025 campaign. He has 173 runs to his name at an average of 43.25 and a strike rate of 208.43.

"Abhishek Sharma, can reach that level easily" - R Ashwin backs Abhishek Sharma to emulate his mentor, Yuvraj Singh

Abhishek Sharma has been vocal about the influence of Yuvraj Singh on his development and career. The former player took the youngster under his wings, and the partnership has proven to be quite fruitful so far.

R Ashwin stated that the emerging player has the potential to match Yuvraj Singh's ability as far as white-ball cricket is concerned.

"I want to tell you that this is not the arrival of Abhishek Sharma, this is just the beginning. He has just started, and he has a long future ahead. He is going to blow the cricketing world apart. Take that in writing. He has so much ability, just like how Yuvraj Singh became India's marquee white-ball cricketer. the best white-ball batter in limited overs cricket for India, he, can reach that level easily. I think he is going to carry Yuvraj's legacy forward, he is a phenomenal talent," Ashwin said.

Team India's next contest in the Asia Cup 2025 is against Bangladesh. The match is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, September 24 at the Dubai International Stadium.