If you need any more proof for Abhishek Sharma being the best example of a modern opener, the left-hander became the second-fastest batter to score 2,000 IPL runs in terms of balls taken on Saturday (April 18), only behind Andre Russell, who’s considered arguably the greatest finisher of the tournament.
It was part of Russell’s job description that he would get quite a few deliveries and needed to make maximum impact. Russell took 1,120 balls to reach the landmark and Abhishek was just behind him, with only 1,193 balls. The SRH opener went past IPL greats like Nicholas Pooran (1,198), Virender Sehwag (1,121) and Chris Gayle (1,251) to sit second on the esteemed list.
It shows how Abhishek sees his role as a finisher, where he wants to use the
minimum balls to have the maximum impact. He did just that against the Delhi Capitals on Saturday, scoring his half-century off just 15 balls, the fastest in IPL history for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
To add more weight to the Abhishek-Russell similarity argument, we can see the players who took the fewest innings to reach 2000 runs in the IPL. In these, finishers generally rank lower, because they get several innings of, say, 10-15 balls each, whereas an opener can reach the same milestone in fewer innings of say, 30-40 balls each.
So, in terms of innings, Gayle, Shaun Marsh, and Ruturaj Gaikwad rank in the top three with 48, 52, and 57 innings, respectively. Russell took 81 innings (36th on the list), and Abhishek reached the milestone in his 80th innings to replace the Kolkata Knight Riders legend on the tally.
SRH score 194/9 in first innings
SRH suffered a batting collapse despite Abhishek’s explosive 59 off 22, as Chennai Super Kings bowlers led by Jamie Overton (3/37) and Anshul Kamboj (3/22) restricted them to 194/9. After racing to 75 without loss, SRH lost momentum with quick wickets. Heinrich Klaasen’s 59 provided some resistance, but disciplined bowling, including key strikes by Mukesh Choudhary, ensured CSK kept the total well below its potential.
