SRH's Abhishek Sharma was sick ahead of record-shattering knock against PBKS
Sunrisers Hyderabad's Abhishek Sharma | AFP
Ahead of his record-breaking century against Punjab Kings on Saturday, SRH opener Abhishek Sharma was under pressure to perform after a string of failures, the youngster confessed. Sharma overcame a bout of sickness to play one of the most memorable knocks in the IPL studded with 10 sixes and 14 fours.
Abhishek Sharma was running high fever for the majority of the six-day break that SRH got ahead of the home game but he woke up on Saturday envisioning a match-winning contribution.
"To be honest, 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, today was my day," said Sharma who took that note from his pocket as part of his celebration for the 40-ball hundred.
Sharma categorically spoke about the role played by mentor Yuvraj Singh and India's T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav in keeping him in good spirits when the runs were not flowing from his bat.
"Because they knew that I can do something like this. But still, as an individual, you can start doubting yourself. But they believed in me and when someone like them believes in you, you obviously start believing again.
"So, it was just a matter of one innings for me," said the southpaw.
Sharma had luck on his side as he was dropped once and caught off a no ball before going on to demolish Punjab Kings bowlers all around the park. He admitted to feeing the heat before the game.
"If I say no, it will be a lie. Obviously, there is pressure if you are not doing 3-4 innings well. Especially if you are losing the match. But, as I said earlier in the ceremony, I didn't feel that there was anyone in the team who was down after losing four games in a row."
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