HYDERABAD : Following his side’s ten-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) skipper Pat Cummins hilariously remarked that maybe openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma changed the pitch while chasing the total and lauded the opening duo for their performance.
On what seemed to be a slow surface, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma launched a relentless attack on LSG bowlers to register a 10-wicket win at home on Wednesday, creating a record of the highest total to be chased down within less than 10 overs.
“Maybe Travis and Abhishek did (on did he change the pitch). We just let them go, they are two guys who are very positive and I am a bowler, it is tough for me to give them any input,” Cummins said during the post-match presentation.
He praised Head, also his Australian teammate. “He has been like this for two years, he hits the tough areas, hits the middle a lot, might not be super conventional.”
On Abhishek Sharma’s hitting, Cummins said, “Just an incredible player of spin and pace. With just two fielders out, it is really difficult for the bowlers against them. I think the scores have gone up, and when the wickets are good, it is tough to come up with answers against batters when they get going. The boys have had a fantastic season, but to win this with less than 10 overs played is unreal.”
Coming to the match, LSG elected to bat first after winning the toss. The visitors got 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.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/12) was the top bowler for LSG. Pat Cummins also got a wicket.
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. LSG is at the sixth spot with six wins, six losses and 12 points.
Head took home the ‘Player of the Match’ award. (ANI)