"What was supposed to happen on November 19 happened on May 19" - Aakash Chopra on Travis Head falling for a golden duck in SRH's IPL 2024 win vs PBKS
SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener Travis Head was dismissed for a golden duck in their IPL 2024 clash against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Hyderabad on Sunday, May 19. Aakash Chopra said it would have been great had the Australian batter met a similar fate in last year's ODI World Cup final against India.
PBKS set SRH a 215-run target after opting to bat first. Despite Head's failure, the hosts achieved the target with four wickets and five deliveries to spare to book a spot in Qualifier 1 against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Reflecting on SRH's chase in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out that Head, the centurion in the ODI World Cup final, fell for a golden duck on the wrong day.
"Travis Head fell off the first ball and a voice came from my heart that what was supposed to happen on November 19 happened on May 19. What is the point? Arshdeep hit the stumps on the first ball. If our (Mohammed) Shami had hit the first ball on the stumps, it would have been a party, but it became our Moye Moye," he elaborated (6:20).
The former India opener praised Abhishek Sharma (66) for playing a swashbuckling knock despite losing his partner early.
"Travis Head got out and it seemed for once that this team might stumble or get trapped a little. No, because Abhishek Sharma is in the form of his life and how. This kid is batting differently. He has the ability to be our next poster boy because he has got the looks, the style, and the swag - he is very good," Chopra said.
Chopra noted that the young SRH opener possesses an all-round game.
"If you are an opener in white-ball cricket, your attacking game should be ready against the short ball. He has that game. He plays the pull very well, not down but for sixes. If it's a full ball, you should be able to play well towards cover or straight. He does that job well too. He hits spin straight and he is actually a destroyer," he explained.
Abhishek smashed 66 runs off 28 deliveries with the help of five fours and six sixes. He added 72 runs for the second wicket with Rahul Tripathi (33 off 18) after Head's first-ball dismissal.
"His specialty is that he hits straight sixes off full balls from spinners by using the depth of the crease" - Aakash Chopra on SRH's Heinrich Klaasen
![Heinrich Klaasen scored 42 runs off 26 deliveries. [P/C: iplt20.com]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/05/89160-17161833133714-1920.jpg?w=500)
While praising Rahul Tripathi for playing a handy knock, Aakash Chopra lauded Heinrich Klaasen (26-ball 42) for his unique game against the spinners.
"Rahul Tripathi played and did well too this time. He did well till the time he was there. Then came Heinrich Klaasen. He is an incredible guy. His specialty is that he hits straight sixes off full balls from spinners by using the depth of the crease. I keep that shot in the impossible category but he hits that," he said (7:30).
The cricketer-turned-commentator added that SRH persisted with their ultra-aggressive approach despite stumbling a little.
"He is brilliant. It seemed like he had lost his form a little but the form has come back. He looked good. There were a few hiccups in the end for sure but Hyderabad eventually won the game continuing with their same philosophy of keeping hitting," Chopra observed.
SRH needed 39 runs off 37 deliveries with seven wickets in hand. Although they lost Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shahbaz Ahmed, and Klaasen's wickets, Abdul Samad and Sanvir Singh took them over the line.