'They have risen like a phoenix'- Matthew Hayden on Travis Head-Abhishek Sharma classic during SRH vs PBKS match

Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma were at their very best when Sunrisers Hyderabad took on Punjab Kings in Match No. 27 of the IPL 2025. The duo's opening stand made a gigantic 246-target look a meagre one, courtesy of fearless stroke play and boundary-hitting on display. Head and Abhishek put pressure on Punjab bowlers right from the word 'go', and went on to put up a 171-run stand for the first wicket, the second-highest ever for SRH in the cash-rich tournament.

Former cricketer, Matthew Hayden, was massively impressed with the duo's incredible display with the bat on Saturday. On Abhishek, Hayden told that he batted with a lot of conviction and confidence after he got a reprieve of a No Ball early in his innings. And Hayden could sense that the batter was going to have a go at the bowlers from there, which eventually he succeeded in doing as well.

“They were unbelievable—it was absolutely Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head’s day. Everything went their way. The only early opportunity came when Yash Thakur bowled a no-ball, but once that moment passed, you could sense they were going to go hard. As a batter, when those moments go in your favour, you just feel like—this could be my day. You keep flirting with danger, but when it keeps working, it reinforces that belief. You start playing with confidence and conviction, and that’s when innings like this happen. Truly, this was just unbelievable,” Hayden spoke on JioHotstar.

The former Australia opener further stated that the way the SRH openers divided responsibilities between them was praiseworthy, where Abhishek went full throttle at the spinners, whereas Travis Head took the onus upon himself against the pacers. Hayden also took a note of how well the southpaw duo went about their individual games in different modes.

“It was a beautiful, measured partnership. Travis Head spoke in the post-match interview about how they operated in slightly different modes—Abhishek was set to take on the spinners, while Head took on the pace attack and allowed himself some time. You don’t often hear that in T20 cricket, especially during a massive run chase, where even a ball or two can create pressure. But this was a great partnership. And looking at those numbers, it’s remarkable how the franchise, who seemed down just three hours ago, has risen like a phoenix tonight,” the two-time World Cup-winner concluded.