After Abhishek Sharma destroyed the Delhi Capitals attack in an IPL encounter, leading to a commanding, one-sided victory, former India cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara praised the Sunrisers Hyderabad opener as a unique talent with class written all over.
SRH scored 242/2 and won the match by 47 runs thanks to Abhishek’s brilliant, undefeated knock of 135 off just 68 balls, which totally destroyed the bowling attack.
“Abhishek Sharma played a brilliant knock to score his second IPL hundred and his first this season. He makes centuries look easy. His runs are crucial for SRH because they often lead to wins. He is a special talent. When he performs like this, his class is there for everyone to see. Very few batters have the talent and class that Abhishek Sharma has,” PTI quoted Pujara telling JioHotstar.
The top T20I batsman in the world, Abhishek, was in full swing on Tuesday, slamming ten sixes and an equal number of fours in a one-sided demolition job.
When Abhishek was on fifty, a mistake made by KL Rahul behind the stumps gave him a lifeline. That was the game-changing moment for former India bowler Harbhajan Singh.
“That missed run-out was a defining moment. If Abhishek Sharma had been dismissed, the game could have looked very different,” Harbhajan said.
“He went on to play a crucial innings and was the main reason behind that big total. When a team gets to 240-plus, it usually comes down to moments like these, and this was the one that shifted the game completely. He was well short, and a direct hit or a good throw could have changed everything,” added Harbhajan.
In order to prevent being crushed in high-scoring games, Harbhajan cautioned Indian bowlers to tighten their lines and improve discipline.
“The Indian bowlers have no choice but to evolve. If they don’t level up, they will get punished. T20 cricket spares no one. Batters keep adding new shots and if Indian bowlers don’t want to be taken apart, they must improve,” he said.
He did, however, commend bowlers who had succeeded in the midst of the chaos, like Anshul Kamboj of the Chennai Super Kings.
“It is good to see that the top five bowlers in the ‘Purple Cap’ race are all Indians. Anshul Kamboj of Chennai Super Kings leads with 13 wickets. His bowling against Sunrisers Hyderabad was excellent,” said Harbhajan.
“He used the round-the-wicket angle in the death overs to bowl to Heinrich Klaasen and did not let him free his arms. Young bowlers like Kamboj are showing a new way to bowl in modern T20 cricket,” he added.
