IPL 2025: "I thought it’s my day," Abhishek Sharma after iconic 141-run knock

SRH batter Abhishek Sharma celebrates his century vs Punjab Kings. Pic/AFP

Abhishek Sharma has a habit of writing notes at the start of the day. On Saturday morning, this flamboyant opener got a random thought that if he did something, it should be for the Orange Army, who came in huge numbers at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The left-handed opener stroked his way to a blazing 141 that stole the thunder and helped Sunrisers Hyderabad snap a losing streak to gallop to an eight-wicket win over Punjab Kings in Uppal.

‘This is for Orange Army'

"Usually, I wake up and write something. But today [Saturday] I got a random thought that if I do something, it will be for the Orange Army,'' said a delighted Abhishek, 24, who took out the note out from his pocket and flaunted the sheet of paper to the crowd, on reaching his century. Though the words were not visible to the naked eye, when the cameras zoomed on the message, it read: "This one is for the Orange Army.'"

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The Amritsar lad admitted he was under a little pressure after a string of low scores this season. "Obviously, there is pressure if you are not doing well in three to four innings, especially if you are losing a match," he revealed.

Clobbering 14 fours and 10 sixes, the pocket dynamo's six-hitting skills earned plaudits from many, including Sachin Tendulkar, who tweeted: "Abhishek's incredible hand speed and the way he manages to get under the ball to send it miles is fantastic to watch. A knock for the ages. Keep it up!''

Grateful to Yuvi, SKY

Abhishek, who survived a few close calls, thanked his mentor Yuvraj Singh and Indian T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav. "I was sick for four days. I had a temperature. But I am very grateful to have people like Yuvraj Singh and Suryakumar around. They were the ones who were continuously calling me.''

Teammate Heinrich Klaasen too added to his confidence. "He [Klaasen] said, ‘just go for it'. I felt if I keep going, the match can end early. I thought it's my day and I have to beat the team today.''

The knock saw Abhishek go past David Warner's highest score of 126 at this ground and also become the highest Indian scorer in IPL, obliterating KL Rahul's 132 not out (for Kings XI Punjab in 2020).