'JUST GO and...': Abhishek Sharma reveals Pat Cummins' game-changing advice before SRH vs MI match

In Wednesday’s thrilling IPL match, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) faced Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. SRH posted a commanding total of 277/3 in their 20 overs, with Abhishek Sharma's explosive 63 off 23 balls being the standout performance. In reply, MI put up a valiant effort but fell short, scoring 246/5 in their 20 overs. Abhishek Sharma's match-winning innings earned him the Player of the Match award. SRH emerged victorious by 31 runs, showcasing a strong all-round performance. The exciting encounter left fans on the edge of their seats.

Also Read: Record-breaking Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Mumbai Indians by 31 runs

IPL 2024: Abhishek Sharma describes his incredible knock against MI

The club management's advice was clear, according to young left-handed hitter Abhishek Sharma: "go out and express yourself." This motto paid off as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by a dominating 31 runs in an IPL game that set a record. As SRH batsmen unleashed an attack and posted the highest IPL total ever recorded—a stunning 277 for 3 against MI—the match witnessed a shower of records falling. The first pair, Travis Head (62 off 24) and Sharma (63 off 23), put on an absolutely amazing show. In addition to making history, Sharma's explosive performance allowed him to secure his team's quickest fifty in IPL history.

Heinrich Klaasen (80 not out off 34 balls) produced a thrilling climax to help SRH smash an 11-year-old record, but the fireworks didn't end there. This incredible accomplishment outperformed the previous IPL record, which was 263 for 5 achieved by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2013.

"To be honest I didn't realise that it was the fastest fifty for SRH and for this year. I just wanted to go and express myself and after getting out I realised that it was the quickest. I enjoyed it," said 'Man of the Match' Sharma.

"I think the message was pretty much simple for all the batters in the meeting we had before this match. 'Everyone just go and express yourself'. That's a very positive message if you get it from your captain and coach. That's really supportive for all the batters." Sharma and Head stitched 68 runs off just 22 balls for the second wicket for SRH.

"I was batting with Travis and he is one of my favourite batters. I really enjoyed batting with him," Sharma said.

Sharma stressed that although Sunrisers Hyderabad amassed a massive total on the scoreboard, the Mumbai Indians came very near to catching up to them, therefore the win wasn't given to them for free.

A major factor in the game going to the wire was Tilak Varma's outstanding 64 runs off 34 balls. Varma demonstrated his skill at the bat by hitting six sixes and putting SRH's chances of winning in jeopardy till the very end of the game. Tim David also contributed to the contest's intensity towards the conclusion with a heroic 42 not out off 22 balls. But in the end, despite their greatest efforts, it was unsuccessful, and SRH won.

"When Tilak Varma, Hardik bhai and even Tim David were batting, we were still a bit, I won't say worried but concerned. The way they were playing it was very good but we knew our bowlers were very much prepared for this kind of situation and they executed really well," Sharma said.

Also Read: Rohit's animated chat with Akash Ambani and Hardik intrigues everyone

David said at the halfway stage they were positive about chasing down the target and eventually came pretty close.

"It would have been pretty good as a spectator if you are sitting home or in the stands it was very entertaining, amazing match.

"We believe in our batting unit. We chased some high scores last year. The talk was let's just stick to our process and we were keeping up with the rate at a certain point of time. Although we didn't get the runs it was a great batting performance from us too," he said.

The Australian, however, credited SRH for their all-round show.

"Credit to SRH, they bowled pretty well at the end, took the pace of the ball on a slowing pitch, it was pretty hard to hit. But everything has to go right if you are to chase 278, that didn't quite happen but we got pretty close," David said.

"They played some amazing shots, credit to their batsmen for putting the pressure on any bowler. There is nothing much you can do to stop them if they play good shots. You got to take (your) hat off when someone plays well." 

(With inputs from PTI)