Abhishek Sharma's remarkable 12-ball 37 played a pivotal role in Sunrisers Hyderabad's successful run chase against Chennai Super Kings on Friday, and he attributed his performance to the hard work he had put in before the IPL, with guidance from former batting stalwarts Brian Lara and Yuvraj Singh.
The 23-year-old Abhishek showcased his batting prowess by hammering a listless Mukesh Chaudhary for 27 runs in the second over, including two fours and three sixes, laying the foundation for the chase of 166. Aiden Markram then anchored the SRH innings, guiding the team to victory with 11 balls to spare.
"It is all the hardwork i have put before this. Special thanks to my dad, Yuvi paaji and Brian Lara," Abhishek, who was named player of the match, said at the post-match presentation.
"While bowling, we felt it was a slow wicket. So we wanted to take the powerplay on. We had a chance to prepare well before the IPL. We knew it will be slow but not if we take on the bowler. Because it would be difficult for the bowler as well," added the youngster who scored at an astounding strike rate of 308.33.
Asked which one he would prefer between high strike rate and big runs, he said, "Big scores matter, but I went with the flow today. Hopefully I will get out last next time."
In response, Yuvraj posted a hilarious post on X teasing Abhishek of the 'shot-selection' which got him dismissed. Check out the post here:
Notably, both Yuvraj and Abhishek belong to the Indian state of Punjab.