Sunrisers during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 20-20 cricket match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, Saturday, April 20, 2024 Travis Head (R) and Abhishek Sharma of 'ZHyderabad. | Photo provided by: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
Devastating Travis Head outlasts Sunrisers Hyderabad opening partner Abhishek Sharma against India after they combined to smash Lucknow Super Giants' bowling attack in a record-breaking IPL chase here – He described him as an exciting talent in the cricket world.
Head (89 off 30) and Sharma (75 off 28), who formed one of the most explosive pairs in this season's IPL, overhauled and mocked a 166-run target in just 9.4 overs. This was the highest 10-over score in men's T20 cricket history.
Both southpaws hit fours and sixes for fun in a sensational show of power hitting.
“The partnership with Abhi is great and he is a very exciting talent for Indian cricket. We complement each other very well and he is very, very fun to be around and very excited about the game. I think about him and yeah, he's got a lot of energy so it's a great partnership to be a part of,” Head said in Wednesday's post-game press conference.
Head is in great form ahead of next month's T20 World Cup in the Americas, scoring 533 runs in 11 innings at an impressive strike rate of 201.89. He also has over 200 marks in Sharma.
“Whenever you're playing, you want to be as consistent as possible and you want to score runs. I'm happy to get in the runs and I'm happy to play well. “It's not a guarantee, but it gives us the best chance of being in a very good frame of mind,” Head said.
“I've been working hard on training, but I think we'll face quite a bit of spin in the Caribbean and the wickets may get even tougher as the tournament progresses. I was very happy with the spin play tonight and I think we'll face quite a bit of spin in the Caribbean and the wickets may get tougher as the tournament progresses. “What we're working on in the moment is working to some extent,” he added.
Sharma was also highly praised by SRH's former coach, West Indies legend Brian Lara.
“He's also someone I met when I was the batting coach at SRH. I spent two years there. It's okay to be a little biased when looking at left-handed people, but I just don't like left-handed people. I love it.”
“Myself and Abhishek have had a very good relationship. These young people are very humble. They want to learn,” Lala said.