Abhishek after record ton: 'I was sick for 4 days'

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener Abhishek Sharma, who scored a record-breaking hundred against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in an IPL 2025 game on Saturday (April 12), revealed that he had been sick for four days.

Thanks to Abhishek’s 141 off 55 (14 fours, 10 sixes), SRH chased down 246 to end their four-match losing streak, at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. His knock is the highest individual score by an Indian in the IPL.

Also read: List of records set in SRH vs PBKS game

Under pressure

Abhishek admitted that he was under pressure to perform after a string of failures and he overcame a bout of sickness to play one of the most memorable knocks in the IPL.

He was running high fever for the majority of the six-day break that SRH got ahead of the home game but he woke up on Saturday envisioning a match-winning contribution.

The 24-year-old left-handed batter thanked former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, and India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav for their help.

“To be honest, I was sick for four days. I had a temperature. But I am very grateful to have people like Yuvraj Singh and Suryakumar around me. Because they were the ones who were continuously calling me,” said Abhishek said after the match, when asked about the six-day break for SRH.

“Because they knew that I can do something like this. But still, as an individual, you can start doubting yourself. But they believed in me and when someone like them believes in you, you obviously start believing again. So, it was just a matter of one innings for me,” he added.

Thanking 'Orange Army'

He took out a note from his pocket to celebrate his 40-ball hundred. It thanked the ‘Orange Army’. About this, he said, “To be honest, I wrote it today only because usually I wake up and write something. So, today I got a random thought that if I do something today, that will be for the Orange Army. So, luckily, today was my day.”

Abhishek had luck on his side as he was dropped once and caught off a no ball before going on to demolish Punjab Kings bowlers all around the park. He admitted to feeling the heat before the game.

“If I say no, it will be a lie. Obviously, there is pressure if you are not doing 3-4 innings well. Especially if you are losing the match. But, as I said earlier in the ceremony, I didn't feel that there was anyone in the team who was down after losing four games in a row,” he said.