I had a chance to talk to Brian Lara before MI's game and that helped me massively: Abhishek Sharma

In a sensational display of power-hitting, Sunrisers Hyderabad's Abhishek Sharma smashed the fastest fifty in the franchise's history. His half-century came off just 16 balls, to guide his team to a massive 277/3 against Mumbai Indians in the eighth match of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).

His blistering knock of 63 off 23 deliveries, which included three boundaries and seven sixes, played a huge role in SRH posting the highest-ever IPL total. After the match, the young all-rounder credited a chat with West Indies batting legend Brian Lara for his brilliant knock.

Abhishek has been in fine form in recent seasons, having finished as the second-highest scorer in the 2023-24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with 485 runs at a strike rate of 192. Although he had a decent IPL 2023, he didn't get many opportunities to bat higher up the order. However, this season, batting at No.3, he has grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

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Lara told me to go for it if it was in my zone: Abhishek Sharma

Speaking after being named Player of the Match, Abhishek said in the post-match presentation, "I said in the previous interview too, the domestic season gives us a lot of confidence. The message for the batters is simple, go out and express yourself. The plan was to attack, I enjoyed batting with Head, he is one of my favorite batters, and I admire him."

"He told me to go for it if it was in my zone. I am happy to be getting my chances, no matter what position I am playing. I had a chance to talk to Brian Lara last night and that helped me massively. I would rather bowl more in practice than bat, trying my best with bowling as well," he further added. 

Also read: Head, Abhishek wreak havoc as SRH post their highest powerplay total

The left-hander's innings was the foundation of SRH's mammoth total, as he put on a blistering 68-run stand with Head and then added 48 in just 18 balls with Aiden Markram (42). Heinrich Klaasen's blistering 80* off 34 balls propelled SRH to a mammoth 277/3, the highest IPL total. Despite valiant knocks from  Ishan Kishan (34)  Tilak Varma (64) and Tim David (42*), MI fell short at 246/5, losing by 31 runs. Skipper Pat Cummins and Jaydev Unadkat shinned with the ball for SRH.