Abhishek Sharma has been on fire in the IPL 2024 with the bat as he has given Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) some flying starts in the tournament. His opening partnership with Travis Head is scaring all other franchises as SRH put up scores of 277 and 287 in the ongoing tournament.
Abhishek hit his third half-century of the season on Sunday, helping Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) finish their league-stage campaign with a four-wicket victory over Punjab Kings.
Chasing Punjab’s difficult 214 for 5, Abhishek delivered the rapid start that SRH required, particularly after Head went for a first-ball duck. However, Abhishek remained true to his attacking style of play, scoring 66 off 28 balls, including 5 fours and 6 sixes.
Sunrisers Hyderabad won the game with ease and finished on No. 2 spot in the IPL 2024 points table. They will now meet the table-toppers, Kolkata Knight Riders, in Qualifier 1. The winner advances to the final, while the loser faces the winner of the Eliminator, which will feature Rajasthan Royals taking against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
“Ye Indian team ke darwaze tod rahe hain”- Harbhajan Singh on Abhishek Sharma
The Sunrisers will be hoping that Abhishek can continue his strong form, which has yielded 467 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 209.41, including a season-high 41 sixes. His performance has led to former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh claiming that Abhishek Sharma might play for India very soon.
“Ye Indian team ke darwaze khatkhata nahi rahe, tod rahe hain, todne ke liye bas ab taiyar khade hue hain (he is not just knocking at the Indian team’s door but almost breaking it open),” said Harbhajan, who was Abhishek’s captain when he made his Ranji Trophy debut.
“The kind of batting he has done in this entire (IPL) season, I don’t think any other youngster has played this well…He has dominated with the bat. He hasn’t bowled yet, which he is quite good at as well. He is a good allrounder,” Harbhajan added.
"Inn se acche spin ko iss tournament me kisi ne nahi khela", #MohammadKaif & #HarbhajanSingh are in awe of #AbhishekSharma's talent and his bright future 😍
How impressed are you with this youngster? 👀
📺 | #KKRvSRH | WED, 21 May, 6:30 PM | #IPLOnStar pic.twitter.com/VAVYX53JTi
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) May 20, 2024
Abhishek was signed by the Delhi Daredevils (now the Delhi Capitals) in 2018 at the age of 17. He also competed for India’s Under-19 squad, who won the U-19 World Cup in New Zealand that same year. In 2019, he joined the Sunrisers.
Abhishek’s one standout performance this season has been his 16-ball fifty — the fastest by an SRH batsman — in his team’s 277 against the Mumbai Indians, the highest total in IPL history.
Also Read: Harbhajan Singh Reveals His Picks For Finalists Of IPL 2024