"He was absolutely stellar" - Aakash Chopra on Abhishek Sharma's assault on Rashid Khan in Sunrisers Hyderabad-Gujarat Titans IPL 2022 match

Aakash Chopra has lauded Abhishek Sharma for his breathtaking assault on Rashid Khan in last night's IPL 2022 encounter between the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the Gujarat Titans (GT).

Sharma smashed 65 runs off 42 balls as SRH set a challenging 196-run target for GT after being asked to bat first. However, the Titans overhauled the target off the very last delivery to climb back to the top of the IPL points table 2022.

While reviewing the Sunrisers Hyderabad batting performance in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra was in awe of Sharma's demolition of Khan. He elaborated:

"The way Abhishek Sharma batted, he played pace for sure, but after that the attack he did against Rashid Khan, I don't remember - the last time I remember such hitting against Rashid Khan was when Chris Gayle hit him in Mohali, but here the way a small kid played - over the covers and mid-wicket, he was absolutely stellar."

The former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) player acknowledged that he wasn't expecting the Sunrisers Hyderabad opener to come good against the Titans. He reasoned:

"Personally, I was not 100% convinced that Abhishek Sharma will score runs for a simple reason - see the opposition bowling, there is Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph and Rashid Khan. There were very few chances of scoring runs here."

Sharma struck six fours and three sixes during his innings. He was particularly aggressive against Khan, who he smoked for 34 runs off just 15 balls.

Click here to view the purple cap in IPL 2022.

---

"He has been absolutely outstanding" - Aakash Chopra on Aiden Markram's knock for the Sunrisers Hyderabad

Aiden Markram scored 56 runs off 40 deliveries [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra also praised Aiden Markram for bailing Sunrisers Hyderabad out of trouble with a 96-run third-wicket partnership with Sharma. He observed:

"Kane Williamson and Rahul Tripathi had gotten dismissed. But then the partnership with Markram. Markram also plays amazingly well, he plays the first 10 balls and spin cautiously but once he gets set, he hits the pacers a lot. He has been absolutely outstanding."

The renowned commentator also had a word of praise for Shashank Singh's cameo towards the end of the Sunrisers Hyderabad innings. He said:

"They finish well also. Shashank comes and hits three sixes. Where was Shashank? He made his List A debut for Mumbai and was playing for Chattisgarh, he has been around the IPL teams but got the chance here. How well he batted, took the team close to 200."

Singh smashed an unbeaten 25 off just six balls, which included one four and three sixes. His belligerent hitting helped the Sunrisers Hyderabad reach a formidable score of 195/6, which didn't prove enough in the end.