Among the pyrotechniques that Abhishek Sharma unleashed in his 39-ball 74 in the Asia Cup 2025 Super Four clash on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium, the one that floored the legendary Ravichandran Ashwin was an inside-out cover drive that instantly sparked a comparison with two of India's World Cup-winning players - Yuvraj Singh, incidentally also the batter's mentor, and MS Dhoni.

It happened on the fourth ball of the eighth over, when Saim Ayub dished out a tossed-up delivery, full on the middle. Abhishek shuffled to move towards the leg side, opened up his front leg and whipped it through the extra cover for a boundary that brought up his half-century.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin reckoned it was a rare incorporation of Dhoni's famous helicopter shot.

He said, “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 can adjust his down swing. If one batter, with one down swing, can make batting look so easy, then why will you not watch that batsman day in and day out?”

‘Take in writing, like Yuvraj...’
Abhishek's fiery knock, alongside a 105-run opening stand with vice-captain Shubman Gill, set the stage for India in the 172-run chase on Sunday, which the defending champions completed with seven balls to spare.

The left-hander has been India's best performer thus far in the Asia Cup, scoring 173 runs at a stunning strike rate of 208.43. Ashwin reckoned that, given Abhishek's prowess in white-ball cricket, he could soon match his mentor, Yuvraj, and carry his legacy forward.

“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.

Abhishek will return to action on Wednesday, when India face Bangladesh in their second Super Four game in the tournament in Dubai.