"Ek aur ek gyarah hi ho gaye hain" - Aakash Chopra on Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma heading into SunRisers Hyderabad's IPL 2024 clash vs PBKS

Former India batter Aakash Chopra reckons the SunRisers Hyderabad's (SRH) Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma form the most dangerous opening pair in IPL 2024.

SRH will face the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mullanpur on Tuesday, April 9. It remains to be seen whether Mayank Agarwal, who missed the Hyderabad-based franchise's last game, returns to open with Head or Abhishek continues to bat at the top of the order with the Australian southpaw.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra chose Head and Abhishek as a pair as the foremost SunRisers Hyderabad players to watch out for in Tuesday's game.

"I am picking the opening combination of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma. So the opening pair are my players in focus. Ek aur ek gyarah hi ho gaye hain (One plus one has become 11). Both start hitting. If they get one or two lives at the start, they take full advantage of that and thrash you," he reasoned (7:25).

"You don't get thrashed as much in a laundry bay. So be wary of them. Punjab, please get them out. It's turning out to be the most dangerous opening pair in this edition. The second might be Mumbai's, although (Jos) Buttler has also come in form now," the former India opener added.

Abhishek has smashed 161 runs at an outstanding strike rate of 217.56 in four innings in IPL 2024. Head, meanwhile, has amassed 112 runs at a slightly lower strike rate of 180.64 in his three hits thus far.

---

"If Punjab think like me and make a slightly slowish pitch, his bowling will work amazingly well" - Aakash Chopra on SunRisers Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins is the SunRisers Hyderabad's highest wicket-taker in IPL 2024. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra picked SunRisers Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins as another of their players in focus.

"Who can be the second player? Pat Cummins once again because it is a big ground. If Punjab think like me and make a slightly slowish pitch, his bowling will work amazingly well. He hits the ball on the middle of the pitch, rolls his fingers over the ball a little, and challenges the side boundaries slightly," he elaborated (8:15).

"He also captains well. He uses his bowlers well. He is a smart captain and is pulling his weight in the side now. He has neither got a chance to do much with the bat nor do you expect a lot from him, but bowling and captaincy - thumbs up," the renowned commentator added.

Chopra named Heinrich Klaasen as the other SunRisers Hyderabad player he is eager to watch.

"The third player in focus I am thinking about is Heinrich Klaasen. He scored at a run-a-ball in the last match but he is Heinrich Klaasen. He is a classic player, hits a lot, and he is a batter who can change the course of a game single-handedly. He has a different fan base and playing style," he explained.

Klaasen is SRH's highest run-scorer in IPL 2024. The South African wicketkeeper-batter has smashed 177 runs at an incredible strike rate of 203.44 in four innings.