Sunrisers Hyderabad openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma.
| Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
When Sunrisers Hyderabad acquired Travis Head at the IPL auction last December, not only the management but its young opener Abhishek Sharma also wore a wide smile.
“I was really looking forward to batting with him throughout the season and even earlier too,” said Abhishek after the side’s big win over Delhi Capitals on Saturday. “Even the Punjab boys, they all know I used to really admire Travis Head. Luckily we got him in our side.”
Abhishek revealed he keeps discussing various aspects of the game with Head. The two have more in common besides being left-handed openers. After emerging as an under-19 star, Head had to struggle to establish himself at the international level. Abhishek, too, has been plying his trade in domestic cricket for a long time.
This IPL season, Abhishek is knocking on the selectors’ door by scoring 257 runs in seven innings at a strike-rate of 215.96. He stressed that Head has helped him remain focused on the task at hand.
“I have spoken to Travis about many things. I share a lot with him, so I think I am clear in my mindset and goal,” said Abhishek. About whether he expected to be called up to India’s squad, the opener said: “My goal is whenever I get to play, I am going to concentrate on that.”
