Where did he transport you? Was it far away from the world of mundane? Those are the two questions that echoed in the mind after watching Abhishek Sharma’s blistering hundred against Punjab Kings.
Granted that the pitch felt more like a Motorway, with the bowlers at the mercy of the rapier-like willows. It is also true that one of PBKS’ bowlers was injured, alongside catches being grassed. Yet, Abhishek’s 55-ball 141 will go down as one of the finest knocks played in IPL’s history. It was savagery and some exquisite batting all rolled into one.
Right from the time Abhishek smacked Marco Jansen for four boundaries in the second over, Abhishek made power-hitting seem easy and fluid. Although, in reality, he was giving the ball a mighty thump. The first of those bazooka hits – The ball ended up somewhere over wide long-on. The second of those blows – even better; a helicopter shot, where he held the pose for the cameras after cracking the stroke. Soon, the cameras zoomed in on Shreyas Iyer, and the opposing captain seemed to be in a state of bewilderment.
The fourth of those sixes was a mishit but it still went all the way. And then he proceeded to play a shot off Jansen where you had to pinch yourself and tell – This isn’t a video game but an actual game of cricket going on. In a jiffy, with a high bat-lift, Abhishek shuffled across, and the willow came crashing down on a fuller length delivery. After completing the stroke, the bat rested somewhere behind his helmet.
SRH end four-match losing streak by recording the second-highest chase in IPL history. Abhishek Sharma’s blistering 141 takes team past Punjab Kings’ imposing tally of 245.
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Just visualise the mesmerising arcs in which it came down on the ball, and you might end up with the sound of popping the champagne. By the time he launched a few of the offerings into orbit while facing Yuzvendra Chahal and Thakur, his opponents didn’t seem to know what had hit them. Maybe it was the Abhishek-Tornado.
By then, the interest of the viewers also had turned towards the piece of paper that Abhishek displayed while celebrating his hundred. The intrigue surrounding it was so much that even Iyer had a glance at it. The words penned down in the paper went as follows – This one is for the Orange Army.
The significance of the knock went far beyond the visual delight that Abhishek provided to an enthralled audience. Sunrisers Hyderabad had lost four games in a row and they needed a victory to pick up the pieces and rejuvenate themselves. In that context, it was a special innings from a special player. The kind of player who one fine day could draw thousands of fans to the stadium just because of one name written on the scoresheet – Abhishek Sharma.
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