NEW DELHI: Sunrisers Hyderabad are set to face Kolkata Knight Riders in the
IPL 2024
Qualifier 1 at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday. Ahead of the high-stakes match, former India cricketer and cricket analyst
Aakash Chopra
highlighted
Abhishek Sharma
as a key positive in SRH's batting lineup.
SRH, led by
Pat Cummins
, finished the league phase second with 17 points from 14 games, narrowly edging out Rajasthan Royals on net run rate to secure their place in Qualifier 1.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Chopra praised Abhishek Sharma's consistent performances and predicted a bright future for the young batter.
"Abhishek Sharma is the shining star. If we focus on the last match against Punjab as well, they lost a wicket off the first ball,
Travis Head
, but it doesn't matter to Abhishek Sharma what has happened at the other end. He comes and plays in a fearless and carefree manner. Sharma ji's son will be playing for India within 45 days," Chopra elaborated.
Chopra emphasized the importance of Sharma's role in the upcoming match, noting his ability to handle spin.
"I feel Abhishek Sharma will open for India on the Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka tours. He plays extremely well and will have to play even better in this match because you will get Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy in the opposition. Spin might be introduced early because of Travis Head. So you will have to get an Indian batter to neutralize spin - that's Abhishek Sharma," Chopra reasoned.
Abhishek Sharma has been a standout performer for SRH this season, amassing 467 runs at a striking rate of 209.41 in 13 innings, making him the second-highest run-scorer for the team behind his opening partner, Travis Head, who has scored 533 runs.
Chopra also pointed out the contributions of other key batters in the SRH lineup.
"Travis Head likes this pitch. He scored runs here in the World Cup final and defeated us very badly. Bowlers try to bowl towards his body to dismiss him but he is explosive. Nitish Reddy is in very good form. So he is doing well. The No. 3 batter seemed to be a weakness but Rahul Tripathi played well in the last match," he said.
As SRH prepares to face KKR, the performance of their top order, particularly Abhishek Sharma, will be crucial in determining the outcome of the match.
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