SRH outplayed DC in all facets of the game.
The swashbuckling left-handed opener smashed 135* off 68 balls with 10 fours and as many sixes, propelling SRH to a massive 242/2 in 20 overs. Heinrich Klaasen (37* off 13), Ishan Kishan (25 off 23) and Travis Head (37 off 26) also made notable contributions with the bat.
The Sunrisers bowling unit, led by Eshan Malinga's four-wicket haul (4-32), then restricted DC to 195/9.
After the win, SRH’s interim skipper Ishan Kishan credited Abhishek for leading the charge throughout the innings and Klaasen for a strong finish.
Kishan noted they found themselves in the driver’s seat once over 200 runs were scored on a wicket that slows down and makes the ball hard to hit for new batters.
“What do I say right now, looking at how Abhishek batted throughout the innings and Klassen finishing it off, you don't have much to say when you have 200-plus runs on scoreboard on this kind of wicket where the ball is going to get old. It's not easy to hit for new batsmen when he comes in. But still, a lot of credit, I mean, all the credit goes to Abhishek, I feel,” Kishan said at the post-match presentation.
Reflecting on his team’s simple, aggressive batting philosophy, Kishan said they are focused on taking it match-by-match, utilizing the powerplay, giving themselves 2-3 balls to assess the wicket's bounce, and playing freely.
“The discussion is just make sure we take match by match, one day at a time, and everyone likes to hit in our team. So, we just have to give ourselves 2-3 balls to understand how the wicket is going to play, what kind of bounce there's going to be, and we just play our game. We don't think so much. We don't have a plan behind it, but we just look to watch the ball and play our game,” he added.
When asked about his decision to hold back Harsh Dubey, Ishan Kishan said the plan was to maximize the runs-to-balls ratio on a slow wicket by saving specialized bowlers for critical overs against the opposition's top batters.
“I think I just wanted the ratio of balls and runs to get as far as possible, when the batter is trying to just hit hard, it's not easy on these kind of wickets. And I know Harsh Dubey, whenever I get him, he's capable of bowling those good balls. He's a very smart bowler. And I just spoke to him and I said you will be bowling the most crucial overs. But the plan was to get your best bowlers when needed, when the two best batters of the team are batting. And I think that worked pretty well for us,” he remarked.
The captain described himself as not being very vocal in the dressing room. “Not so much, I just say enjoy,” he concluded.
With four wins in seven matches, Sunrisers Hyderabad are currently holding third spot in the 10-team points table. The 2016 champions will next face Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Saturday (April 25).