NEW DELHI: After Sunrisers Hyderabad's commanding ten-wicket triumph over Lucknow Super Giants, skipper Pat Cummins humorously suggested that perhaps openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma had altered the pitch while chasing the total. Cummins praised the opening duo for their exceptional performance.
In what appeared to be a sluggish surface, Head and Abhishek unleashed an onslaught on the LSG bowlers, propelling their team to a historic 10-wicket victory at home on Wednesday. Their aggressive batting display set a new record for the highest total chased down in 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."
In the match, Lucknow Super Giants won the toss and elected to bat first. However, they got off to a slow start, managing only 57 runs in the first 10 overs while losing three wickets. Skipper KL Rahul struggled to accelerate, scoring 29 runs off 33 balls, including a four and a six.
In the latter half of the innings, Ayush Badoni (55* off 30 balls, with nine fours) and Nicholas Pooran (48* off 26 balls, with six fours and a six) revitalized the innings with a 99-run partnership, guiding LSG to a total of 165/4 in their allotted 20 overs.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/12) was the standout bowler for LSG, while Cummins also contributed with a wicket.
In pursuit of 166 runs, Sunrisers Hyderabad openers Head (89* off 30 balls, with eight fours and eight sixes) and Abhishek (75* off 28 balls, with eight fours and six sixes) unleashed an onslaught on the LSG bowlers. Their blistering partnership saw SRH chasing down the target in just 9.4 overs without losing a wicket.
With this emphatic win, SRH climbed to third place in the table with seven wins, five losses, and 14 points, while LSG remained in sixth place with six wins, six losses, and 12 points.
Head was awarded the 'Player of the Match' for his scintillating performance with the bat.
(With ANI inputs)
