This year, the wickets have been at and good for batting: Muralitharan
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s spin-bowling coach says the Impact Player rule is more advantageous for the batter than the bowler and the at pitches and fast out elds have contributed to higher scores
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s spin-bowling coach Muttiah Muralitharan on Saturday said that the Impact Player rule has been more advantageous for the batters than the bowlers. “This (rule) gives us extra 20-30 runs. People know how to use it. So, there’s an extra man for you when you are bowling or batting.
“It’s more advantageous for the batter than the bowler because you are not afraid of putting up a score. It’s like, ‘If I get out, there is a man behind me to cover me.’ So, there’s an extra man there, and they go out and play freely.
“When you put pressure on yourself, you freeze up and don’t play; if your mind is free, then seven out of 10 times it comes o¬. That’s the game every batter is doing at the moment. They are not scared of getting out,” he said here on the eve of his team’s clash against Chennai Super Kings.
He said that ¯at pitches and fast out¥elds this year have also contributed to higher scores. “This year, the wickets have been ¯at and very good (for batting).
Everywhere you go, it’s very ¯at. Even in the bigger grounds, the wicket is ¯at and the out¥elds are very fast. That has also created another 20-30 runs. Earlier, 170-180 was a good total to defend. Now, it’s become 220-230. That’s 60 runs added.”
Speaking about the spinners in the ongoing IPL, he said: “The problem in India at the moment is, most of the spinners who are playing, are not spinning the ball. They are bowling quicker and not able to spin the ball.
“The batters, if you see in the practice sessions, they do power-hitting to throwdowns. So, they’ve now gotten used to the ball coming straight at good speeds,” said Muralitharan.
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UPPER BHAVANI HANDICAP (1,200m), rated 00 to 25, 11.00 a.m.: 1. Ugly Truth (10) C. Umesh 60, 2. Aletta (2) S.J. Moulin 59, 3. Rwanda (9) Surya Prakash 58.5, 4. Autumn Light (4) S.A. Amit 58, 5. Regent Prince (1) A.S. Peter 57.5, 6. Run Happy Run (7) Kuldeep Singh 57.5, 7. Royal Supremacy (3) Ram Nandan 57, 8. Fashionista (8) Ramandeep 56, 9. Daiyamondo (5) Koshi Kumar 55 and 10. Stillwater (6) K.V. Baskar 53.
1. UGLY TRUTH, 2. FASHIONISTA, 3. STILLWATER
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TEOFILO HANDICAP (1,200m), rated 20 to 45, (0 to 19 eligible) (no whip), 11.30: 1. Glorious Sunshine (8) Kuldeep Singh 60, 2. Mystic Zlatan (5) K.V. Baskar 57, 3. Dancing Queen (1) R.S. Jodha 56.5, 4. Presto Power (6) Koshi Kumar