Mumbai: The last occasion Abhishek Sharma took to the field at Wankhede Stadium, he delivered an impressive performance, scoring 135 runs off just 54 balls while representing India against England. In his most recent IPL match last week, he showcased similar prowess with another 135 runs off 54 balls against the Punjab Kings.

Wearing the orange of SRH, Abhishek becomes even more formidable when paired with Australia's explosive opener, Travis Head. Together, they have managed to secure only two victories out of six Powerplays thus far. However, these statistics are unlikely to alleviate the pressure on the Mumbai Indians' bowling unit as they prepare for a challenging encounter on Wankhede's favorable batting surface this Thursday.

One of their two impactful partnerships occurred during their last match against the Punjab Kings, where the contest was effectively decided by the time they were parted at 171 runs in the 13th over while chasing a daunting target of 246.

“We haven’t convened for our team meeting yet, but I will share my thoughts on Abhishek when we do,” remarked Naman Dhir of the Mumbai Indians, referring to his domestic teammate.

Despite not amassing the same volume of runs as they did at the tournament's midpoint last year, the combination of Abhishek and Travis remains one of the most formidable opening pairs in the league.

“Some individuals have conducted research on the number of false shots leading to their dismissals, and the figures are quite high,” stated Daniel Vettori, head coach of SRH, on the eve of the match. “Typically, batsmen manage to evade such situations. There’s an element of luck involved. Abhishek experienced a run-out early on. Additionally, the opposition's scouting and understanding of how these two operate play a role. All these factors have contributed to a couple of performances where they didn’t score as expected. Their opening partnership has been vital to our success, and in the two matches we’ve won so far, they have been significant contributors.”

The two left-handed batsmen have defied conventional match-up theories prevalent in T20 cricket, leaving opposing bowlers with much to ponder.

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