Losing four back-to-back matches was weighing on opener Abhishek Sharma's mind and he wanted to "break that streak" and help Sunrisers Hyderabad emerge from the string of defeats, which had pushed them to the bottom of the points table.
Abhishek, who had been going through a poor run of form, scored a breathtaking 141 off 55 balls as SRH scripted the second-highest run chase in IPL history to return to winning ways with a comprehensive eight-wicket win over Punjab Kings in a high-scoring encounter here on Saturday.
"This one is very special, because I wanted to break that losing streak. Losing four back to back matches was very tough. But we never talked about it in the team. Special mention to Yuvi paji (Yuvraj Singh) and Suryakumar (Yadav) as well. They have been in touch with me," said Abhishek whose knock helped SRH chase down a massive 245/6 with nine deliveries to spare.
Following the win, SRH moved to 8th place from 10th in IPL standings.
Abhishek said the atmosphere in the team never changed despite the defeats, which was one of the reasons SRH could chase down the big total.
"The atmosphere was simple even though the batters were not doing well," he said.
The opener added that the easy-paced wicket gave him options to invent and innovate his shots.
"If you have seen me close enough I never play behind the wicket. But I was wanting to invent a few shots which was very easy on this wicket. It helped us both (him and opening partner Travis Head). We didn't talk anything. It was just natural play for (both of) us. The partnership boosted me up," he said.
© 2025