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After partnering with uncapped southpaw Abhishek Sharma to flatten the Lucknow bowling attack on the way to a lopsided win at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday, explosive Sunrisers Hyderabad batter Travis Head was all praise for his opening partner, saying that the 23-year-old batter an "exciting talent for Indian cricket".
Head and Abhishek smashed the LSG bowlers to a pulp, coasting to a facile 10-wicket win and chasing down the target of 166 runs in just 9.4 overs in the City of the Nizams on Wednesday. At the post-match press conference, Head opened up about his record-breaking partnership with Abhishek, who struck a whirlwind 75 off just 28 balls. Head lauded his opening partner with whom he stitched their third 100-plus opening stand of the season. "Abhishek Sharma is an exciting talent for Indian cricket, kind of exceptional. We kind of complement each other. He is very very enjoyable to be around. He is very very excited and thinks about the game," Head said at a post-match press conference. The powerplay, a phase of the match the Sunrisers have dominated in the tournament so far, set the stage for this victory. They scored an incredible 107 runs during the powerplay overs, practically snuffing out any hopes of a comeback that Lucknow may have entertained and took their team to within a touching distance of the target in under 10 overs. The persistent and ferocious assault by the SRH openers was simply too much for the LSG bowlers to handle. After posting a reasonable and fighting target of 167 on the board, the Sunrisers, riding on the exploits of the opening duo, cantered home in just 9.4 overs. The fireworks by the willow-wielders yet again reaffirmed the team's formidable batting lineup, which is arguably among the most feared this ongoing IPL season. "Yeah, very happy with how we operate in power play and also glad to see how we scored runs outside of power play today. At time out we spoke about NRR (Net Run Rate) being important. Very pleased that checked out," he added. LSG elected to bat first after winning the toss. The visitors got off to a slow start, getting just 57 runs in the first 10 overs and losing three wickets. Skipper KL Rahul played a sluggish knock of 29 in 33 balls, with a four and a six. In the second half of the innings, Ayush Badoni (55* in 30 balls, with nine fours) and Nicholas Pooran (48* in 26 balls, with six fours and a six) turned things around with a 99-run stand, putting a score of 165/4 in 20 overs for LSG. In the run-chase of 166 runs, openers Travis Head (89* in 30 balls, with eight fours and eight sixes) and Abhishek Sharma (75* in 28 balls, with eight fours and six sixes) launched what seemed like a never-ending assault on LSG batters, helping SRH chase down the total in just 9.4 overs without losing a wicket. SRH is at number three in the table with seven wins, five losses and 14 points. (ANI)
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