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November 30 was a good day for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) fans. Two of their top order batters – Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan – smashed a century in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025. After Sharma’s 52-ball 148 for Punjab against Bengal, Jharkhand skipper Kishan scored an unbeaten 113 in the run chase against Tripura. The wicketkeeper-batter was elated to score his first century of SMAT 2025. He talked about keeping things simple and staying true to his intent, attacking the delivery in his range.
“I think it’s very simple. In cricket, when you open the innings, you just look to score as many runs as you can - pick the odd balls where the bowler comes up with a plan but is not able to execute, and you just go for it. So, I was doing the same. Though we lost two wickets early, my intent was very clear: if the ball is there (in my slot), I’ll just go for it,” Kishan told Sportstar.
How SRH’s approach has led to fearless batting
Kishan has adapted to SRH's all out attack policy. He feels Abhishek is the perfect fit for SRH's batting template and lauded the coaching staff for giving the batters freedom to express themselves.
“I love to hit, so I’m very happy with what they plan,” he said.
“Credit goes to the coaches. They have given us so much freedom. So, players don’t worry about their wicket (falling). They just want to watch the ball and score as many runs as they can. And I think if there is any batter who could score like that, it is Abhishek at this point. He is someone who works hard as well. Not just a lot of hours (of practice), but (puts in) a lot of thought behind it, So, it makes sense when he scores such big runs,” he added.
Kishan speaks about Yuvraj’s impact on Abhishek
Kishan also credit legendary Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh for grooming Abhishek.
“Being looked after by Yuvi paaji (Yuvraj Singh), he benefits a lot from him. We all know how he (Yuvraj) was as a player and how mentally strong he was. So, I can imagine what sort of practice he is getting, and he is just making very good use of it when he is batting out there in the middle,” said the 27-year-old.
Abhishek vs Kishan on cards
Both Jharkhand and Punjab are at the top of points table. If they continue their impressive run in the tournament, they may find themselves facing each other in the knockout games next weekend.
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