‘Watch the ball hard, maximise Powerplay’: Head

SRH’s Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma after their win over LSG

Wednesday's carnage by the explosive Sunrisers Hyderabad openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma could give rise to talk about the size of grounds. But in this case, the majority of the 14 sixes smashed by the left-handed duo of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma flew and landed in the first or second tiers of the stands of the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

The India-Australia pair were at their brutal best with their monstrous hitting. Head (30-ball 89 not out, 8x4, 8x6) and Abhishek (28-ball 75 not out, 8x4, 6x6) turned the night into a festival of sixes.

A dazed LSG skipper KL Rahul, who was trolled badly, said: "I'm lost [for words]. This is unreal batting."

It was Heady stuff in the second session. This was a marked contrast to the start of the match after Rahul won the toss. Led by the wily Bhuvneshwar Kumar, SRH strangled LSG, who put on 27 runs in six overs. To add to his woes, Rahul made a 33-ball 29. But when Head and Sharma came out to bat, it was a different story. They blazed away to 107 runs in six overs. Head raced away to yet another 50 in 16 balls while Sharma got his 50 in 19 balls. Usually, in a game if one batter is on a rampage then his partner would play second fiddle. But here, both Head and Sharma were in full flow. Head said: "Abhi [Abhishek Sharma] and I have had a few partnerships like this. We watch the ball hard and try to maximise the Powerplay.''

Abhishek, 23, said: "I backed myself. All credit goes to him [Head] He goes after them [the bowlers] from the start and takes the pressure off."