Ten sixes. Fourteen fours. A shocking 141 runs in 55 balls.
Even if you don’t speak the language of cricket, you should know that’s a rare, magical innings. With it, 24-year-old Abhishek Sharma, the left-handed cricketer with outrageous talent, became the highest scoring Indian player in the IPL’s 18-year history, and found his own version of theatrics.
Last week, the moment Sharma reached his long-awaited century (scoring 100 off just 40 balls against Punjab Kings), he punched the air, dropped his bat to the ground, and took off his gloves while the crowds watched on expectantly, waiting for him to make the ‘L’ sign. But much to our surprise, there was no ‘L’ in sight. Instead, Sharma pulled out a folded note from his pocket and held it up for the crowds—and cameras—to see. ‘This one is for Orange Army’, the handwritten note read in bold, referring to SunRisers Hyderabad’s fan colours, sending the home crowd into roaring cheers.
One is left to wonder—on that fated morning of April 12, as he journalled this phrase onto a blank page and tucked it into his pocket—did the young cricketer have any idea that he was about to play the record-breaking innings of a lifetime?
Darshita Goyal chats with the Gen Z cricketer about following in his dad’s footsteps and his “strong connection” with the legendary Yuvraj Singh.
