Tricky test for Warner & Co.
With a shaky middleorder proving to be their Achilles heel again, Sunrisers Hyderabad would be desperate to address the issue and taste first victory this season when they take on Mumbai Indians here at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday.
Hyderabad were cruising in a chase against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their previous match before their inexperienced middleorder let the match slip through the fingers.
A disappointed Sunrisers captain David Warner had criticised his
batsmen for playing crossbatted shots against a leftarm spinner.
As pace bowling allrounder Vijay Shankar has come under fire for not utilising opportunities, experienced campaigner Kedar Jadhav who can sneak in a few overs of off-spin could get his maiden SRH cap.
The opening combination of Wriddhiman Saha and Warner hasn’t worked for them either.
There have been calls for the inclusion of Kane Williamson in the XI, but the Kiwi has revealed that he is not 100 per cent fit yet.
Sunrisers lost both their games while chasing, while Mumbai’s lone victory came while defending a target.
The slow Chepauk surface has proved tricky for the chasing teams. Warner doesn’t expect the wicket to get better. “The key is to execute through the middle, try and take early wickets in the powerplay and when batting it’s just to consolidate in the first six with minimal damage,” said Warner.
Defending champions Mumbai Indians recovered from a slow start to the season with a stunning win over Knight Riders. Rahul Chahar, Krunal Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah helped Mumbai pull a rabbit out of the hat in their thrilling win.
As the pitch is expected to assist the spinners, Rahul and Krunal will continue to play key roles for Mumbai.
A big Rohit Sharma knock is due. The Mumbai skipper made a good start against Kolkata in the previous game, but failed to convert it into a half-century.
Ishan Kishan who got out for 1 against KKR hasn’t really fired for Mumbai this season.