JOIN USKrishnamachari Srikkanth, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s mentor and chief strategic analyst, said the keenly fought win over Pune Warriors on Friday has boosted the morale of his side.
“We are all very happy that the Hyderabad have won the first game. It was a fantastic win in a crucial game. I always believe that in the IPL format, T20 format, or in one-day format, the first win is very crucial,” Srikkanth said on Saturday.
Detailing the impact of that fighting win, the former Indian skipper said, “Defending a low total has given us tremendous sense of confidence.
That’s the key. I always said that cricket is 90% a mental game and the reasons why we were able to defend 126 are because we are united and the team is gelling well and the keenness to succeed was there in every ball. That’s the feeling we are carrying forward to the next game against RCB.”
However, Srikkanth said there could be some improvement in the batting department. “We are looking at it. We could have easily got another 15-20 runs. The batting will be a big focus for us, and we want to get a big total on the board.
I think anything above 150, 155-plus would be a good total, an ideal one, to defend in the conditions that we have here. But one good thing is the team is gelling well together, and I am sure the batting will come through in the next game, tomorrow, against the RCB,” he said.
On Shikhar Dhawan, Srikkanth said, “He will be joining us shortly. In fact, we got a message from Shikhar, who is following us closely, and he’s raring to go and to do well. See, that’s what a victory like this (against Pune) can do.”