Hyderabad, Apr 6 (IANS): Sunrisers Hyderabad batter Abhishek Sharma thanked his idol Yuvraj Singh and former SRH coach Brian Lara following his aggressive knock of 37 runs in 12 balls against Chennai Super Kings, on Friday.
His powerplay bash, a blistering 37 runs off just 12 balls, set the stage on fire and left the opposition reeling. Left-arm fast-bowler Mukesh Choudhary, playing in a competitive match for the first time since December 2022, was all over the place with his lengths, giving Abhishek the ideal chance to cart him for two fours and three sixes to concede 27 runs in the second over.
Abhishek continued to time his shots by pulling and slapping Chahar for six and four respectively, before slicing uppishly to the backward point, falling for 37 off just 12 balls. Head and Markram hit six boundaries between themselves as SRH ended the power-play at 78/1 in six overs.
"While bowling, we felt that it was a bit (of a) slow wicket. So we knew that somehow if we take the powerplay on, then we could just go with the flow after that," Abhishek, the Player of the Match in Sunrisers Hyderabad's six-wicket win, told the host broadcaster after the game.
"We had a chance to prepare well before the IPL. We knew it was going to be a bit slow. But not much. If we take on the bowler, it is difficult for the bowler as well. Big scores matter, but I went with the flow today. It is all the hard work I have put before this. Special thanks to my dad, Yuvi paaji and Brian Lara,” he added.
It was Abhishek's second Player-of-the-Match award, after he had taken home the trophy following his 23-ball 63 against Mumbai Indians.
Aiden Markram, who took charge after Abhishek's departure, lent his calm demeanor to the fray, steering the innings with poise and precision. His composed 36-ball 50 provided the anchor around which the Sunrisers' innings revolved and later won the match by six wickets with eleven balls remaining.
"Not too bad, but not like it was against Mumbai. When we bowled, the first ten overs or so, it was coming on alright but got tougher. So we took on in the first ten and were in a good position later. I don't want to think too much, probably see-ball, hit-ball. That is encouraged by the team management and Patty (Pat Cummins). When you get in, the batter that is in needs to value the position. The Impact Player has freed batters,” said Aiden Markram in the post-match presentation.
On a black-soil pitch at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, with slower deliveries gripping off the pitch when the ball got older, SRH did well to restrict CSK to 165/5. The seamers conceded just 38 runs in the last five overs, to stifle CSK’s run-flow. It was a phase in which the batters found it difficult to time their shots against the cutters, with Shivam Dube’s 45 being the top score by a CSK batter, including hitting two fours and four sixes. With no Mustafizur Rahman and Matheesha Pathirana in the eleven, CSK’s bowling bore a depleted look.
Head and Abhishek came out swinging to decide the result of the match in the Power-play itself, where they amassed 78/1. Eventually, SRH completed the chase in 18.1 overs to get consecutive wins at home, with Markram making a 36-ball fifty to give CSK their second successive defeat on the road.