Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], April 13 (ANI): Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden lauded the tactical brilliance and composure shown by Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, whose explosive opening stand powered Sunrisers Hyderabad to a historic run chase against Punjab Kings in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).
Chasing an intimidating target of 246 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Head and Abhishek crafted a spectacular 171-run opening partnership in just 12.2 overs.
Head played the supporting role to perfection with a controlled 66 off 37 balls, striking nine boundaries and three sixes. At the other end, Abhishek was in a destructive mood, smashing a sensational 141 off 55 deliveries, decorated with fourteen fours and ten sixes.
Praising their approach, JioStar expert Hayden said on JioHotstar, “It was a beautiful, measured partnership. Travis Head spoke in the post-match interview about how they operated in slightly different modes–Abhishek was set to take on the spinners, while Head took on the pace attack and allowed himself some time.”
Hayden highlighted the rarity of such thoughtful execution in the high-pressure format of T20 cricket.
“You don’t often hear that in T20 cricket, especially during a massive run chase, where even a ball or two can create pressure. But this was a great partnership,” he said.
Reflecting on the turnaround, Hayden added, “Looking at those numbers, it’s remarkable how the franchise, who seemed down just three hours ago, has risen like a phoenix tonight.”
The Head-Abhishek partnership not only left fans in awe but also underlined Sunrisers Hyderabad’s resurgence in the tournament, showcasing their ability to pull off the extraordinary when it matters most.
The left-hander, who had been searching for form, finally found his rhythm and punished the Punjab attack with a mix of clean hitting and fearless strokeplay.
Despite PBKS’s efforts to pull things back, Abhishek’s assault proved too heavy a blow to recover from. The innings will go down as one of the most dominant batting displays of the season and could well mark a turning point in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) campaign.
With this knock, Abhishek made history on Saturday, hitting the highest individual score by an Indian player in Indian Premier League (IPL) history.
The 24-year-old player has overtaken KL Rahul (132 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2020) as the player with the highest score by an Indian in IPL history.
Overall, next to Chris Gayle (175* for RCB against Pune Warriors India in 2013) and Brendon McCullum (for Kolkata Knight Riders against RCB in 2008), this is the third-highest individual score in IPL history.
The youngster hit 116 of his runs in boundaries, breaking the record of Jonny Bairstow (90) for most runs in an innings by an SRH batter via boundaries. Also, his 10 sixes are the most by an SRH player in an innings, overtaking David Warner’s eight. (ANI)
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