Tell Abhishek Sharma that there might have been more runs on the board. The opener for the SunRisers Hyderabad, who has been crucial to his club’s record-breaking totals this season, believed that his team might have scored a few more runs against the Delhi Capitals on Saturday, April 20, particularly following a PowerPlay that saw them amass 125 runs without losing a wicket.
“During the innings break, I’m really happy for the team, but I think we targeted more than that after the first six overs,” Abhishek said in a sideline interview with the announcers. “There was a message to assess the wicket today but I think Travis did really well in that and I just followed him.”
During the press conference held after the match, Abhishek made a statement that had even more impact. “We felt we could have hit a few balls better (laughs), so more of this is going to come.”
According to Abhishek, the sky appears to be the limit for his team right now. With three of the four highest IPL totals now achieved this season—three of which came from SRH’s 266/7 in Delhi—the Pat Cummins-led team’s success in accumulating runs has been largely attributed to the starts it has been receiving.
According to Abhishek, the team management sent a “powerful” and “easy” message.
“The captain and the coaches had a very clear message: go express yourself. The coach and the captain delivered a very straightforward yet impactful message: as a young player and a top-order batter, all you need to do is pick up that confidence from them, and I believe we did from the start. Abhishek said, “The rest of us have to go there and play our game.
Although Jonny Bairstow and David Warner had previously established a highly fruitful relationship for the SRH at the top, there’s something about Travis Head’s aggressive beginnings in the company of an uncapped Indian all-rounder that has captured attention.
According to Abhishek, batting with Travis did assist him quite a bit to open up his game. “[Batting with Travis] has always been a pleasure since day 1,” Abhishek said. “There’s no pressure from the other end so I can just go out and express myself.”
Additionally, the 23-year-old’s admiration for Head certainly didn’t hurt.
“Watching Travis bat makes me happy,” Abhishek said. “Talking a lot off the pitch has been beneficial. It goes without saying that I want to bat alongside him the remainder of the season. The Punjab lads were aware of my admiration for him even before this, in all three formats, so it was excellent that we had him on our side.
“I’ve been telling him that I’ve loved him from the beginning. I’ve been watching him for the past year, and it’s fortunate that he plays for us.”
Abhishek attributes his improved batting strategy to having a well-defined objective in mind for the 2024 Indian Premier League.
“I think that before to this IPL, I had a pretty clear strategy in my brain. I was really clear about my batting approach and plan of attack. It’s going well, I played well, but I’m also benefiting much from the hard work I did leading up to and during the Syed Mushtaq Trophy,” Abhishek said.
He also provided a sneak peek at his planning and methodology. “I personally try to prepare really well for the other team’s spinners and key bowlers. I watched Kuldeep’s films, so I knew he was their key bowler, therefore I was extra cautious against him in this match as well. I make it a point to play local and net bowlers the day prior, and that really helps.
“I share a lot of things with Travis and we have talked about a lot together. I have a very clear perspective and objective. My objective is to perform whatever instrument I am given the opportunity to play; I will pay close attention to it.”
