Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra heaped praise on Abhishek Sharma after Sunrisers Hyderabad registered a 47-run win against Delhi Capitals at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, on Tuesday.
Sharma scored a magnum opus knock of 135 runs off just 68 balls with the help of 10 fours and as many sixes. Thus, he played an instrumental role in helping SRH post an above-par score of 242 runs on the board and was awarded Player of the Match.
Abhishek completed his second IPL century off just 47 balls as he batted at the top of his game. The left-hander has scored nine centuries in T20s, which is one more than Rohit Sharma’s tally of hundreds in the shortest format. Sharma also matched Virat Kohli’s record of nine centuries in T20s.
“He has equaled Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in T20 hundreds. He has played 200 fewer innings than them, and don’t tell me they didn’t use to open. Rohit has almost always opened, and Kohli has also never gone below No. 3, and he has still reached there in 200 fewer innings. Where is our game going?” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
Chopra said Abhishek won SRH the game on his own on Tuesday.
“He has scored nine centuries and has equaled Virat and Rohit. This is incredible. He hit 10 sixes and single-handedly turned the game in their favor. The others also contributed, but 240-plus runs were scored. 240-plus runs aren’t chased nine out of 10 times. In fact, they aren’t chased 99 times out of 100,” he observed.
The renowned commentator highlighted that Sharma had struggled against the spinners for a brief time in the T20 World Cup, but he is now back at his absolute best.
“People feel he doesn’t play spin well. I think people are not realizing that what has happened has happened. There was a small phase where Abhishek Sharma was troubled by spin. He had scored 32 runs off 31 balls and had gotten out thrice. Aryan Dutt and Salman Ali Agha dismissed him. If these off-spinners get you out, you feel you are struggling, and that was his phase,” he said.
Sunrisers Hyderabad will next take on Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, Jaipur, on Saturday.
