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Abhishek Sharma was in sizzling form on Wednesday as the Sunrisers Hyderabad smacked an unbeaten knock of 75 runs off 28 balls, packed with eight fours and six sixes. He and his opening partner Travis Head remained unbeaten, driving SRH to 167/0 in 9.4 overs, in their chase of 166 runs. It turned out to be a one-sided 10-wicket victory against Lucknow Super Giants, and the match proved to be another stepping stone for SRH this season, where they have destroyed teams with their batting firepower.
Head was equally destructive, slamming 89 runs off 30 deliveries, also clattering eight fours and eight sixes in the process. What is more scary for other teams that SRH didn’t even Heinrich Klaasen, Shahbaz Ahmed or Nitish Kumar Reddy to come and bat as Abhishek, Head bamboozled LSG bowlers with their shot selection and power-hitting abilities.
This wasn’t the first time, both have hogged the spotlight with their aggressive approach. Abhishek already has 401 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of 205.64, packed with two fifties. His strike rate is better than the likes of Virat Kohli (148.08), Sanju Samson (163.54), Rishabh Pant (156.43), Shivam Dube (170.73), Yashasvi Jaiswal (157.63), Suryakumar Yadav (176.71) and Rohit Sharma (152.77), who have been selected for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Speaking on JioCinema, Mike Hesson hailed Abhishek’s action-packed batting approach and pointed out his ability to play spin in the powerplay. Hesson also made a massive prediction, stating that Abhishek could be in the Team India squad post-T20 World Cup.
“Oh, look, I think so. I mean, I think his ability to take on spin in the power play. And he’s improved greatly against pace. He is a high quality player. He’s a boundary hitter. He is a six hitter and no doubt post World Cup, and he will start to make some changes, whether it be Jaiswal, himself or Shubman Gill. To be fair, there’s a few. There’s plenty of names, but he will definitely be one that will have plenty of people talking about,” he said.
If Abhishek finds himself in the Indian squad after the ICC tournament, it could mean the end for either Rohit or Kohli. A strong opener, he could replace Rohit and open with Jaiswal or Gill. Meanwhile, he could also play in Kohli’s position.
SRH have climbed to third position in the standings, with 14 points in 12 matches. Their performance this season has been a trend-setter, with all franchises trying to copy their batting template.
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