The Sunrisers Hyderabad team, which had somewhat lost its momentum in the middle of the tournament, has regained its aggressive form. The carnage they created after their 10-wicket thrashing of the Lucknow Super Giants in Hyderabad last evening is a testament to this. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, the two key players responsible for SRH’s resurgence this season, didn’t spare anyone as they chased down a target of 166 in just 9.4 overs. Not even 10 overs. Let that sink in. Out of the 58 balls bowled in total, 14 were launched for sixes and another 16 for fours. The game was practically over just 45 minutes into the second innings.
Travis Head once again displayed his brilliance with an unbeaten 89 off 30 balls, but his partner Abhishek Sharma proved to the selectors that they may have erred in leaving him out of India’s T20 World Cup squad. The 23-year-old left-handed batter smashed an unbeaten 75 off 28 balls, and after SRH made a mockery of LSG’s total of 165, Sharma credited the man who has had a significant impact on his career: the one and only Yuvraj Singh.
“I think the hard work I put in before the tournament is showing now, thanks to Yuvi Paaji, Brian (Lara) as well, and my father, who is my first coach,” he said after the match. Shortly after, Yuvraj responded to the youngster. Sharing a spirited message for Abhishek on social media, the two-time World Cup winner for India urged the batter to stay positive. Abhishek was one of the talked-about names for India’s T20 World Cup squad but missed out. However, given his current form, Yuvraj, who had previously stated that Abhishek was not ready, acknowledged that his ‘time will come’ while also praising Head.
“Well played @IamAbhiSharma4. Be consistent, be patient! Your time is around the corner! @travishead34 what planet are you batting on, my friend? Unreal!!! #SRHvsLSG #IPL2024,” posted Yuvraj.
With 401 runs from 12 matches at an average of 36.45 and a strike rate of 205.6, including two half-centuries, Abhishek is 11th on the list of highest run-scorers of the season. Meanwhile, his opening partner Head is third, behind only Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad, having amassed 533 runs, including four fifties and a century, with an average of 53.3 and a strike rate of 201.8.
Head’s incredible form is particularly concerning for India ahead of the T20 World Cup. Having faced the brunt of the opener’s destructive batting twice in ICC finals last year, in the World Test Championship and the World Cup, the Men in Blue must devise a strategy to prevent a hat-trick of onslaughts if these two teams meet again in the T20 World Cup.
