Kolkata: England batter Harry Brook lit up Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 when he smashed an unbeaten 55-ball 100 against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens, hitting 12 fours and three sixes in a surreal exhibition of strokeplay against pace bowling while being careful against the spinners.
Now, left-arm spin all-rounder Abhishek Sharma revealed that it was in head coach Brian Lara’s mind to open the batting with Brook, who had a lean start to the tournament.
“Harry could not perform in two-three matches, so it was in Brian’s (Lara) mind that we will bring him up and I will go in the middle so that I can take on the spinners. KKR have one of the best spinners, and it was a strategic decision, not a permanent one,” he said in the post-match press conference.
Brook added 72 runs off 47 balls with captain Aiden Markram, who made a 26-ball fifty. He also shared a stand of 72 runs off just 33 balls with Abhishek, who amassed 32 runs off just 17 balls, as Hyderabad made an imposing 228/4, and eventually won by 23 runs.
“We all know that Brook can take down any pace attack, and that was the plan. I was injured in between, and we backed Brook to open. I think that was a very good decision by the coach and management.”
“We all know how he plays fast bowling, and with the new ball, mostly fast bowlers would be in action. He can also take on spinners, so it worked well for us,” added Abhishek.
He also said the Hyderabad think tank had the trust in Brook to perform after being a sublime run-scorer for England in all formats. “We all believed that he could do this. We played together at the U-19 level when we had a series against England, and he was their captain, and I was leading India. We all knew inside that he was going to do something like this.”
“It was just a matter of time, and that’s what he did in the game. If you see his innings in Tests, it’s almost the same as T20. He always keeps telling everyone that he just reacts to the ball and plays his natural game, whatever the situation is.”
Abhishek signed off by appreciating Brook for not being bogged down by initial failures in IPL 2023.
“When Harry Brook entered the IPL, we all knew what he could achieve and his records at the international level. He is a clean-hitter of the ball and is clear about this mindset as well, which is very important for any player.”
“Even when he did not perform in the first three matches, he was the same with everyone, and this is the best thing about him. He is on the same line whether he is performing or not, which is good to see.”
–IANS