Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma's batting left Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul absolutely speechless after the match which the Sunrisers Hyderabad won by 10 wickets to get right back into the mix of things towards the business end of the Indian Premier League 2024.
Head and Sharma registered the fastest score in the first 10 overs while chasing as they gunned down the target of 165 in just 58 balls.
Head remained unbeaten on 89 while Sharma smashed 75 not out during their opening partnership. Their total score of 167 is the highest in the first 10 overs of the IPL.
Highest total after first 10 overs in IPL:
167/0 (9.4) SRH vs LSG Hyderabad 2024 *
158/4 SRH vs DC Delhi 2024
148/2 SRH vs MI Hyderabad 2024
141/2 MI vs SRH Hyderabad 2024
Opposition skipper left speechless
Rahul could barely speak at the post-match presentation when he was asked about the carnage from Head and Sharma.
"I am lost for words. We have watched that kind of batting on tv. But this is unreal batting. Everything seemed to find the middle of the bat. Kudos to their skills," the shocked LSG skipper said.
"They have worked hard on their six hitting skills. They didn't give us a chance to know what the pitch played in the second innings. Was hard to stop them as they teed off from ball one."
Head-Sharma destroy Lucknow
The Indo-Aussie duo took down all the bowlers in the opposition attack which was lacking the pace of Mayank Yadav and the experience of Mohammed Shami.
The openers smashed 148 out of the 167 runs in boundaries that included 16 fours and 14 sixes.
Head and Sharma were indulged in a competition of their own as to who will hit the most maximums. The Aussie won this battle with 8, just a couple more than Sharma.
Cummins's perfect birthday gift
"We just let them go, they are two guys who are very positive and I'm a bowler, it is tough for me to give them any inputs. (On Travis Head) He's been like this for 2 years, he hits the tough areas, hits the middle a lot, might not be super conventional.
"(On Abhishek Sharma) Just an incredible player of spin and pace. With just 2 fielders out, it is really difficult for the bowlers against them," SRH captain Pat Cummins, who turned 31 on May 8, said after the game.
