Former Indian all-rounder Suresh Raina hails THIS player as his 'next version'

Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina has identified Abhishek Sharma as a batter in the current Indian team who could replicate his fearless style of play.

Speaking in an interview on a local Indian YouTube podcast ahead of the Asia Cup 2025, Raina praised Sharma’s aggressive approach with the bat.

"Abhishek Sharma. I really love the way he plays, fearless. Yuvi pa [Yuvraj Singh] has trained him a lot," Raina said.

Sharma had a stellar outing in IPL 2024 earned him a spot in India’s T20 squad, where he struck his maiden international century in just his second game.

Raina also highlighted two other promising left-handed batters in the Indian setup: Priyansh Arya and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

"I think Priyansh Arya can also be a very dominating player," Raina noted.

He praised Yashasvi Jaiswal for his resilience and game awareness, saying, "Yashasvi has a different work ethic. There is a fighting spirit. He scored a hundred in Australia and England. His game awareness is very good."

It is pertinent to mention that the Asia Cup 2025 will begin with a Group B fixture between Afghanistan and Hong Kong on September 9.

A total of eight teams, divided into two groups, will vie for the prestigious title. Fierce rivals Pakistan and India are placed in Group A, alongside UAE and Oman, while Group B features Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong.

Pakistan will open their campaign against Oman on September 12, followed by the blockbuster match against India on September 14. Their final group-stage game is scheduled for September 17 against the UAE.

India's squad for 2025 Asia Cup:

Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice captain), Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube , Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy , Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson

Reserve players:

Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal