Harbhajan says that he is looking forward to an era when Abhishek, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal could form India’s top three in all formats. “I am really looking forward to that period when they will be India’s top 3. What a batting lineup that will be and those days are not too far away. Maybe in about six months we will see these three playing permanently for India in white-ball cricket,” said Harbhajan.

“And maybe we will also see him starring in the Test team as well. He can play, banda todta hai usme bhi (he smashes in that format as well). He is captain of Punjab (in the Ranji Trophy),” he said.

Abhishek has scored 1071 runs in 24 first class matches thus far at an average of 30.60 with one century and five half-centuries. Harbhajan said that an aggressive player like him could find success in Test cricket the way Travis Head has or greats like Virender Sehwag or Viv Richards did in the past.

“On his day, he just takes the game away. Travis Head does it, Virender Sehwag used to do it, Viv Richards used to do it. These kind of players are the ones who take the game forward. Today or tomorrow, his chance will come in Test cricket. You always need a player of the Sehwag mould in Test cricket who comes, smashes, and takes the game away. That can be Abhishek Sharma,” said Harbhajan.

Abhishek Sharma re-establishes his place in the Indian squad

Abhishek’s place in the squad had come under the scanner before the start of the series. While he had scored a century against Zimbabwe in just his second T20I, Abhishek had since managed just one half-century in nine innings after that before the first T20I against England at the Eden Gardens. He started this series by smashing 79 runs in 34 balls in Kolkata which powered India to their dominant seven-wicket win.

After that, though, he recorded scores of 12, 24 and 29 before the century at the Wankhede. “I know that whenever it is my day, I will go for it even if it is just the first ball of the match. Today, luckily, it was my day. So, very grateful,” he said in a video on the BCCI’s website.