SRH vs MI | ‘Captain, coach told us to go express ourselves,’ says Abhishek Sharma on team breaking records

During a cricket match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on March 27th, 2024, Abhishek Sharma from Sunrisers Hyderabad hit a shot. The photo was taken by K.R. Deepak.

Abhishek Sharma, a youthful southpaw batter, shared that the team management conveyed a clear message which was: "just go out there and show your abilities." This resulted in Sunrisers Hyderabad triumphantly defeating Mumbai Indians by 31 runs in an IPL match that saw numerous records being broken.

The SRH team played aggressively, breaking records and achieving the highest score of the IPL season, with a total of 277 runs for 3 wickets against MI on Wednesday evening.

The show of strength displayed by Sunrisers Hyderabad's opener Travis Head, who scored 62 off 24 balls, and their number three player Sharma, who made 63 off 23, was absolutely thrilling. Sharma even broke his team's record for the fastest half-century ever achieved in an IPL match.

In a stunning display of batting prowess, Heinrich Klaasen scored an impressive 80 runs in just 34 balls, bringing the crowd to their feet with his explosive performance. This incredible effort helped SRH break the long-standing record of the highest total score in IPL, which had been held for over a decade. The previous record was set by Royal Challengers Bangalore back in 2013, with a score of 263 for 5.

Honestly, I wasn't aware that my fifty was the fastest for SRH this year. I simply aimed to display my skills and after being dismissed, I came to know that it was the swiftest. I cherished the experience," stated Sharma, the receiver of the 'Man of the Match' award.

In my opinion, the instruction given to all the batters during our meeting before the game was quite straightforward. Our captain and coach instructed us to simply showcase our abilities without any restrictions. It's an encouraging message to receive from them and fosters a supportive environment for all the batters.

Sharma and Head partnered up to score 68 runs in a mere 22 balls for the second wicket of the SRH team.

Sharma expressed his satisfaction on batting with his top-notch counterpart Travis. He stated that batting alongside him brought him immense joy and fulfillment.

Sharma mentioned that even though SRH scored a huge number of runs, it wasn't an easy victory as MI fought hard and almost caught up.

Tilak Varma played exceptionally well, scoring 64 runs in just 34 balls. His performance was highlighted by his outstanding hits- 6 sixes in all. However, towards the end of the game, Tim David did his best by scoring 42 runs in 22 balls, but it was not sufficient for his team to win.

"Whilst Tilak Varma, Hardik bhai, and Tim David were at bat, we were somewhat uneasy. I wouldn't go as far as to say worried, but we were cautious. Albeit their exceptional playing technique, our bowlers were fully equipped for this scenario and they performed with precision," Sharma explained.

According to David, when they were halfway through, they had confidence in their ability to pursue the objective and managed to get very close in the end.

As an observer, whether you watched the game from home or from the stands, it was an incredibly enjoyable and captivating match.

"We have faith in our batting team. We managed to successfully chase some significant scores last season. The discussion among us was to maintain our approach and we were able to keep up with the required run rate for a certain time period. Despite falling short of the target in terms of runs, we produced an impressive batting display," he stated.

However, The Australian acknowledged SRH for their impressive performance in all areas.

David acknowledged the skill of SRH's bowlers in the final overs, as they cleverly slowed down the pace of the ball on a deteriorating pitch, making it tough to hit. Despite their efforts, chasing a staggering 278 total requires flawless execution which couldn't quite be achieved. Nevertheless, the team came very close to achieving their target.

Their batsmen executed marvelous shots, deserving recognition for their ability to create pressure on opposing bowlers. It is impossible to prevent them from playing well if they are hitting their shots. It is important to acknowledge and admire good performances by taking off your hat.