Wasim Jaffer refuses to pick Abhishek Sharma's Hyderabad knock 'all-time IPL great'

Abhishek Sharma’s explosive 141 off just 55 balls has taken the IPL 2025 by storm, with many cricket experts calling it one of the finest knocks ever seen in the history of the tournament. However, Wasim Jaffer has refused to call Abhishek Sharma’s match-winning “all-time great” knock.

The young Indian opener turned what looked like a mountain of a chase into a walk in the park, smashing the Punjab Kings bowlers all over the stadium to pull off a sensational eight-wicket win for Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Saturday, April 12.

Wasim Jaffer praises Abhishek Sharma’s heroics, but reserves ‘all-time great' tag

Chasing the 246 runs, Travis Head (66) and Abhishek Sharma (141) added 171 runs for the opening stand to set the stage for Sunrisers Hyderabad’s remarkable comeback in the ongoing IPL 2025 after suffering four defeats in a row, both at home and away games.

Read Also: Full list of records broken by Abhishek Sharma during 141 vs PBKS

After the match, Wasim Jaffer said that he can’t rate Abhishek Sharma’s Hyderabad knock as the all-time great innings in the IPL, but was certainly left amazed by the SRH opener’s stunning performance against the Punjab Kings. However, the former Indian batter said that this performance deserves a place among the tournament’s greatest innings.

The cricket pundit felt the all-time best tags are usually saved for high-pressure playoff games, but he admitted that Abhishek’s knock was special enough to lift Sunrisers Hyderabad’s hopes for the IPL 2025 playoffs after early setbacks in the ongoing tournament.

I won't say all-time best: Wasim Jaffer on Abhishek Sharma's knock

Abhishek’s fearless hitting, clean timing, and control under pressure impressed Wasim. The cricket expert believes that the 24-year-old opener’s innings has not only revived SRH’s IPL 2025 campaign but has also given the team fresh belief in their fight for the playoffs.

Wassim Jaffer said on ESPNCricinfo, “It has to be. I won't say all-time best because I think you would rate, you know, all-time best on the basis of, you know, the playoff game or something like that. But considering, you know, the way they were playing, I think this will put them onto the platform where they can, you know, start believing that they can qualify.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ESPNcricinfo (@espncricinfo)

Read Also: DC vs MI Head-to-Head Records- IPL 2025, Match 29

Yuzvendra Chahal is very defensive in his mindset: Wasim Jaffer

Meanwhile, Yuzvendra Chahal is having a tough time in the ongoing IPL 2025. PBKS leg-spinner has struggled to make an impact this season, where he’s taken only two wickets and has been quite expensive, with an economy rate of 11.13, so far in the five games.

And Wasim Jaffer pointed out that Chahal still bowls those magical deliveries like the one that dismissed a well-set Travis Head, but his defensive approach is putting him under pressure. He noted that Chahal seems to be playing it safe, and it’s costing him in the tournament.

Jaffer said, “I think the few deliveries he bowled, when he picked up Travis Head’s wicket, I think that is what we need to see Chahal bowl more often. Looking to spin the ball, looking to bowl googlies, and looking to put some revs on the ball, which I think we are missing from watching Yuzi. He is very defensive in his mindset, and the pressure is pretty much visible on his face that he is off-color.”