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May 23, 2024
Legendary Sunil Gavaskar has questioned Sunrisers Hyderabad’s “puzzling” batting approach during the powerplay in the first IPL Qualifier against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Legendary Sunil Gavaskar has questioned the “puzzling” batting approach of Sunrisers Hyderabad during the powerplay in the first IPL Qualifier, suggesting their reckless strategy may have cost them the match against Kolkata Knight Riders. Having cleaned up his fellow Australian Travis Head with a peach of delivery with his second ball, Mitchell Starc blew away the SRH top-order in his opening spell 3-0-22-3. SRH lost four wickets inside the powerplay to be dismissed for a paltry 159, a target KKR shot down in 13.4 overs to storm into Sunday’s summit clash in Chennai.
“It was a terrific performance, no question. Such an impressive display with both the bat and the ball. They took four wickets in the power play, and that’s where the Sunrisers were pushed onto the back foot, really on the ropes. They couldn’t recover from that,” the former Indian captain told Star Sports Cricket Live.
“There was a partnership of sorts, but to me, the approach of the SRH batters in those first six overs was puzzling.” With Vaibhav Arora dismissing the in-form Abhishek Sharma in the next over, SRH’s explosive opening pair were out for 13 runs.
After losing two key wickets, Gavaskar said SRH’s batters should have played more cautiously. Instead, they continued to play aggressively, which led to further losses and ultimately cost them the match.
“When you’ve lost two wickets and the two who have been scoring runs for you, a certain amount of caution is required. Sure, don’t miss out on scoring opportunities, but don’t look to throw your bat at everything. That’s what we saw.
“They lost those four wickets, and losing four top batters means you can’t really expect numbers five, six, seven, eight, and nine to get you to 200. So, that is where they may have lost it. But full credit to Kolkata for the way they attacked and took advantage of that pitch as well,” Gavaskar said.
The former India opener was all praise for Venkatesh Iyer and emphasized his value as a versatile player, a top left-handed batter, and a capable medium-pace bowler, even if he hasn’t bowled much recently.
Venkatesh struck a 28-ball 51 in an unbroken partnership with his skipper Shreyas Iyer (58 not out; 24b) to seal their eight-wicket win with 38 balls to spare.
“He’s been a very good player for such a long time. His first season, a couple of seasons ago, was outstanding. Then, as it happens to everybody, the second season is harder because opponents have a better idea of how to bowl to you,” Gavaskar said.
“But Venkatesh is the kind of cricketer you want in your team. He’s a top batter, a left-handed batter, and he can bowl medium pace. We haven’t seen him bowl much recently, but he’s a very good medium-paced bowler. He might not always pick up wickets, but he can bowl those few overs that can make a significant difference,” he added.
The Sanju Samson-led RR will face SRH in the Qualifier 2 of the IPL 2024.
The RCB vs RR IPL 2024 was a closely fought contest. Defending a total of 172, Royal Challengers Bengaluru fought hard but ultimately fell short. They were on a six-match winning streak, but all that meant nothing as Sanju Samson-led RR turned up the heat when it needed it the most. Rajasthan Royals, winner of the 2008 IPL, had some poor outings in the last couple of weeks, losing four matches on the trot. But the side showed character and won against a resurgent RCB.
After RR bowlers restricted RCB to 172, their batters gave them a steady start. After the first wicket fell, the stand between Yashasvi Jaiswal (45) and Sanju Samson (17) when there was an interesting incident on the second ball of the ninth over by Karn Sharma.
Jaiswal and Samson took a single. The latter wanted a second but was sent back. Samson was casual while returning and even stared back at Jaiswal before grounding his bat. The ball was in Karn Sharma’s hand, and Samson would have quickly run out if he had been more alert.
Seeing that Sunil Gavaskar had an interesting advice. “This is not the time to have a go at your teammate. A run will not make a difference, but a run out will,” Sunil Gavaskar said on air.
Regarding the match, Rajasthan Royals ended Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s eventful campaign in the Indian Premier League with a four-wicket win in the Eliminator here on Wednesday.
Sent into bat, Royal Challengers Bengaluru scored 172/8. In reply, Rajasthan Royals chased down the target of 173 with six balls to spare.
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal struck a 30-ball 45, while Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer chipped in with quick-fire 36 and 26, respectively.
Earlier, Rajat Patidar top-scored for RCB with 34 off 22 balls.
In-form opener Virat Kohli made 33 off 24 balls before falling to wily leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. At the same time, Mahipal Lomror scored a brisk 17-ball 32.
Senior India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin bowled beautifully to finish with excellent figures of 2/19 in four overs while taking the wickets of Cameron Green and Glenn Maxwell off successive balls. Avesh Khan took 3/44 in his four overs.
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Katarzyna Nowak is a seasoned writer with over five years of experience in editorial content, news reporting, and cricket sportsbook app reviews. As an author for Top Cricket News, she combines her deep understanding of the sports betting industry with a passion for cricket, delivering insightful and accurate content that keeps readers informed and engaged.
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