Sharma scored a blistering 57 off just 29 balls in the chase of 229 against RR.
Opening the innings, the left-handed opener scored a blistering 57 off just 29 balls, providing quick momentum to the daunting chase of 229 runs. He shared a crucial 132-run stand with Ishan Kishan (74 off 31) for the second wicket, which took SRH over the line with nine balls to spare.
With this knock, Abhishek earned the Orange Cap for being the top run-getter in the tournament, surpassing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
After the game, the southpaw expressed his satisfaction with both the team's victory and his personal contribution to the win. He noted that the pitch allowed for a higher score and that the Royals probably should have scored 15-20 more runs.
"I mean, of course, it's always great to be on the winning side and of course, after that, contributing for your team. And it's just, I had my chances today. It's just a lucky day for me, I guess. But still, I feel the pitch, the way it was playing, I think they were, I wouldn't say they were short 15 runs, but still, I think they would have got 15-20 runs more,” Abhishek said at the post-match presentation.
He explained his strategy against high-pace bowlers like Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger, citing that simply waiting for a "boundary ball" would be foolish; instead, he aimed to disrupt their line and length by creating room.
“I mean, bowler like Jofra and Burger, if they're bowling to you and, if you're wanting you to, they'll give you a normal or just boundary ball, that would be foolish from my side. So I just wanted to, create a room or probably anything just to trouble them with the length and line a bit. And that was the plan and that's what me and Ishan wanted to do, especially with the new ball,” Sharma stated.
Abhishek mentioned that high-pressure chases, combined with strong performance from both top-order batters in the powerplay and bowlers in the middle/death overs, are giving them confidence heading into the second half of the league stage.
“Of course, I feel so. Once you achieve this kind of score and the way the team is playing, the top batters are performing in those powerplays and the way bowling side is coming back after that powerplay, I think it's a sign of a winning side probably. And I mean, you can feel that confidence in the team when we are even chatting and just sitting at the dressing room. It's not that old team probably. And I feel the way the bowlers are contributing, that's very important. Once the batters are in form or probably they're scoring some runs, you need the bowlers to just execute their plans,” he remarked.
Abhishek praised Pat Cummins for his leadership and experience, while also noting that the team didn't feel they were "missing someone" during the seven matches where Ishan served as the interim skipper.
“I mean, I think he's..., I mean, Patty always knew that he's gonna come and lead the side. Of course, he's the leader, but the way Ishan did in those seven matches, I just didn't feel that we're missing someone. But of course, Patty comes there and give you that extra experience in a side and the way he bowls in those crucial overs, it's always give you an extra confidence. (on playing the next one at Wankhede) I mean, I really enjoy Wankhede, so of course, it's coming, going for the high note from here. It's always been a special one,” he concluded.