That spectacular batting performance that shore up Hyderabad for a shining six-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants on May 19 saw Daniel Vettori, the Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach, concede wonderful things to Abhishek Sharma. The win came too late for SRH to make it into the playoffs, but certainly was a morale booster for the team in a season that had gone haywire.
Chasing a tough target of 206, Hyderabad very quickly went into overdrive, Abhishek being the primary reason for it, superbly scoring 59 off just 20 deliveries. He destroyed the LSG bowling from the word go, holding together a base for the rest of the chase, which SRH completed in 18.2 overs.
In the post-match presentation, Vettori stated another fantastic performance of Abhishek from the top of the order was vital, saying that Abhishek always takes on the attack early against the bowlers, especially showing great skills against spin bowling during the powerplay, which SRH has really been relying on since last year: “He’s been fantastic. The big challenge for any team is when he gets through those early overs and faces spin. He was brilliant tonight against the spinners, and his strike rate is just incredible. We know that when he sees the chance, he goes for it and usually comes out on top.”
This time, there was some more pressure imposed on Abhishek, as his usual opening partner, Travis Head, was down with COVID-19. With Head missing, all eyes would be on Abhishek, and indeed he came through with a flourish right from the word go. Though all three opened-Atharva Taide for one end and Ishan Kishan at No. 3 for all intents and purposes it was Abhishek who set the tempo of the innings.
His knock not only ended LSG’s prospect of qualifying for the play-offs but also importantly lifted the spirit of SRH, who now look ahead to two crucial assignments against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders.
