IPL 2025: Abhishek Sharma Shares Insight on Unique Century Celebration

Synopsis

Sunrisers Hyderabad's Abhishek Sharma opened up about his unscripted century celebration dedicated to the Orange Army. Scoring an impressive 141 runs off 55 balls, he surpassed KL Rahul's IPL record for the highest individual score by an Indian. His spontaneous note highlighted the positivity and support from his teammates.

Key Takeaways

Abhishek Sharma's unique celebration was spontaneous.
He scored 141 runs off 55 balls, breaking records.
The note he revealed was dedicated to the Orange Army.
He acknowledged the pressure of recent low scores.
Strong teammate support helped him regain confidence.

Hyderabad, April 13 (NationPress) Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Abhishek Sharma disclosed that his distinctive century celebration was not a pre-planned act but rather a spontaneous idea he noted down in the morning. He expressed that if he succeeded, it would be dedicated to the Orange Army. The 24-year-old showcased an explosive innings of 141 runs off just 55 balls, surpassing KL Rahul’s record for the highest individual score by an Indian in Indian Premier League (IPL) history, and ranking as the third-highest overall.

Upon reaching his first IPL century, the opener lifted his bat and revealed a note stating, “THIS ONE IS FOR ORANGE ARMY”.

Regarding his unique celebration during the post-match conference, Abhishek remarked, “I wrote it today only because usually I wake up and write something. So, today I got a random thought that if I do something today, that will be for the Orange Army. So, luckily, I thought today was my day. I wrote it today, and I think it was a good, lucky day.”

Abhishek, who faced a challenging stretch in his previous five matches with low scores of 24, 6, 1, 2, and 18, acknowledged that he entered the match under pressure.

“If I say no, it will be a lie. Obviously, there is pressure if you are not doing well for 3-4 innings. Especially if you are losing the matches. So, I think there is a little pressure on the individual in a team. But, as I said earlier in the presentation ceremony, I didn't feel that there was anyone in the team who felt that we were losing the match or something.”

“No one's mindset was negative. Only positivity from everyone. Because everyone was waiting for such a blast to happen from the SRH team. And luckily, we had to break this losing streak,” he stated.

The 24-year-old also revealed that he was unwell during the five-day break before the matches. “To be honest, I was sick for four days. I had a temperature. But luckily, I feel I am very grateful to have people like Yuvraj Singh and Suryakumar Yadav around me because they were the ones who were continuously calling me. Because they knew that I could do something like this,” he said.

“But still, as an individual, any player would have started doubting themselves a bit. But the thing was, it was pretty much clear that they believed in me. And you know, when someone like them believes in you, you obviously start believing again,” the left-handed opener added.

Abhishek, who raced to his fifty in just 16 deliveries, the fastest-ever by an SRH batter, formed a 171-run partnership with Travis Head as SRH comfortably chased down 246 runs with nine balls remaining, setting the record for the highest successful run-chase in IPL history.

Reflecting on his record-opening stand with Head, Abhishek stated, “There was nothing going on between us when we were at the pitch. It was just watching the ball and playing your game. Because whenever we played as partners or did something for the team, it's always been on the winning side.”

“So, we knew if we were going to give the team the start they wanted, it's going to happen. And it was just a very simple talk. Even if you see me and Travis just, you know, complimenting each other, that was one of the biggest positive things we do.”