141 not enough? Why Abhishek Sharma’s father isn’t satisfied with record IPL century-OxBig News Network

Abhishek Sharma roared back to form in style during SunRisers Hyderabad’s IPL 2025 match against Punjab Kings on Saturday, 12 April. Having endured a poor start to the season – just 51 runs in five matches – the left-handed opener smashed 141 off only 55 deliveries, helping the SunRisers chase down 246, the second-highest successful run chase in the history of the competition.

Abhishek, who had battled a fever in the lead-up to Saturday’s match, struggled with his timing early in the innings. However, he found his rhythm as the innings progressed. Despite a slow start, he didn’t hesitate – instead of poking around, he went after the bowling with intent. He struck 10 sixes and 14 boundaries in his blistering 141 – the third-highest individual score in IPL history, behind only Chris Gayle’s 175 not out in 2013 and Brendon McCullum’s 158 not out in 2008.

Abhishek celebrated his century and the memorable win with his parents, who were in the stands at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The young Punjab batter posed for a heartwarming photo with the Player of the Match award in hand, flanked by his proud mother and father.

SRH vs PBKS, IPL 2025 Highlights

Abhishek revealed that his father, Raj Kumar Sharma, had motivated him through his lean spell earlier in the season. In a light-hearted moment, he shared that his father was still not completely satisfied with his innings against PBKS – he wanted Abhishek to see the game through to the end. Abhishek was dismissed in the 17th over, with SRH still needing 24 runs. However, he had already done the bulk of the damage before walking back to a standing ovation.

“It was very special. My father has been coming to watch my matches since my Under-14 days. If you zoomed in on him during my innings, you’d see him signalling to me, telling me which shots to play – ‘play this shot, play that shot’. He was my first coach. It’s very special to have done this in front of my mother and father,” Abhishek said.

“I think it’s my highest score in the IPL. My father keeps telling me to finish games, so he’s still not satisfied. There’s always room for improvement. I’ll keep working hard,” he added.

TOLD HIM NOT TO WORRY: ABHISHEK’S FATHER

Raj Kumar Sharma recalled his conversation with his son before the match.

“I can’t express how happy I am,” he said.

“I motivated him. I told him not to worry about the lean patch – it happens to every cricketer. He was a bit unlucky too. In the second match, he was run out. He played a few shots that didn’t quite clear the boundary. But now, he’s regained his confidence, and he won it for the team. In the coming days, he’ll do well, and so will SRH.

“He was very confident. He told me in the morning that he was going to score and help SRH win,” he added.

Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head shared a 171-run opening partnership in just 12.2 overs. It was Head who got the ball rolling, dismantling the PBKS bowling attack with a powerful 66 off 37 balls. It was a tough night for Shreyas Iyer’s men, who ended up on the losing side despite posting 245 on the board.