Losing Warner, Kane hampered the chase: Laxman

Though they were in the game for the better part of it, losing the wickets of Kane Williamson and captain David Warner at crucial junctures hampered the chase, felt SRH mentor VVS Laxman

Hyderabad: Sunrisers Hyderabad suffered a big 34-run loss against Mumbai Indians chasing a massive 209-run target on small ground in Sharjah on Sunday. Though they were in the game for the better part of it, losing the wickets of Kane Williamson and captain David Warner at crucial junctures hampered the chase, felt SRH mentor VVS Laxman.

Speaking after the loss, the Hyderabadi said, “When you are chasing a big total, you need to have wickets in hand. Unfortunately, we lost Kane early and lost Warner at the crucial juncture of the game. Kane is a very experienced player and we know what he is capable of. But after the two dismissals, too much was left for the youngsters. But I am happy the way (Abdul) Samad expressed himself.”

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Laxman also added that losing Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed dented their chances. “Yes, our strength is our death bowling. But Bhuvi got injured and Khaleel (Ahmed) was not fit. So we had to go with newcomers. It was a tough wicket to bowl on. I am happy with the way our bowlers did as this is the lowest total on this ground. Sid (Siddharth Kaul) had a bad day but that can happen to anyone. When you play against quality strikers like (Kieron) Pollard and Hardik Pandya, you have to be at your best. The ground is small and any length ball will disappear for a boundary. We also had an opportunity to dismiss de Kock earlier but we didn’t take it,” he added. He revealed that with both left-handers Ishan Kishan and Quinton de Kock playing in the middle, they went with off-spinner Kane instead of Abhishek Sharma.

Meanwhile, Krunal Pandya, who provided the much-needed impetus with a four-ball 20-run knock and picked up a wicket, lauded his fast-bowling unit for the victory. “It is amazing to see our fast bowlers doing a great job. Obviously, Bumrah has been our main bowler and it strengthened with the addition of Trent Boult and (James) Pattinson.

“We knew about the small ground and our strategy was to put maximum runs on the board. The way KKR almost chased in the last match, we knew we had to bat first and put a good total so that our bowlers can execute their plans,” he said. He further added that every over was crucial in this ground. “Since the ground is small, the match can change in a single over. So we executed our plans better,” he concluded.

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