Published: Apr 27, 2013, 11:23 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 19, 2014, 08:48 PM (IST)
Shikhar Dhawan returned to action with a fluent knock of 63 against the Chennai Super Kings © IANS
By Prakash Govindasreenivasan
Before the start of the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the repackaged Hyderabad side [Sunrisers Hyderabad] was not amongst the favourites. Having retained 20 players and making a few utility buys in the player auctions, they seemed to be in line for another season of endurance and an eventual mid-table finish. Eight games hence, they have done well to take the third spot in the points table.
Sunrisers’ lost in a final-over thriller to the Chennai Super Kings in their previous fixture but that was purely down to Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s master class. But the return of Shikhar Dhawan, the moustache-twirling southpaw, bolsters their batting line-up. Dhawan, who made a dream debut for India against Australia in the Mohali Test earlier this year, returned to action with a fluent knock of 63 against Chennai.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad have five wins in eight games and still need four wins in the remaining eight matches to secure a place in the eliminators. If one looks at the way this team has won their games, it would be easy to assume that they will not sustain any longer and end up mid-table or even worse by the end of May. All their victories have come as a result of fine display of bowling led by the world’s best bowler Dale Steyn, IPL’s best Amit Mishra and the resilient Ishant Sharma. More often than not, they have bailed the team out of tricky situations and have managed to bowl out different oppositions for meager totals. While they have religiously stuck to their job, it’s the batting that has been a major concern for the side. Dhawan’s return, however, might help solve that to a great extent.
Sunrisers’ top-order has been the worst of the tournament so far. Wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel and Akshath Reddy were miserable at the top, failing to give the Hyderabad side an explosive start. In Dhawan, they will have a player who will keep the scoreboard ticking and convert half-chances into boundaries. His controlled aggression was on display in his knock of 63 against the Chennai Super Kings as he started off the innings with a few crisp ground strokes and only towards the end did he take the areal route and managed to find the gaps with precision.
What he brings to the Sunrisers is a good start that will take the pressure off the middle-order. He may not be able to score a half-century each time he comes out to bat, but a good start will change things for the Sunrisers. The middle-order batsmen like Cameron White, Ashish Reddy, Hanuma Vihari and Thisara Perera can consolidate well and guide the team to a big total to give their bowling unit a good total to defend.
The Sunrisers, at the moment, are ahead of heavyweights like the Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and the Kolkata Knight Riders on the points table, but will have to play out of their skins to hold onto their third spot. Dhawan’s form at the top could have a major impact on that.
(Prakash Govindasreenivasan is an Editorial consultant at CricketCountry and a sports fanatic, with a soft corner for cricket. After studying journalism for two years, came the first big high in his professional life – the opportunity to interview his hero Adam Gilchrist and talking about his magnificent 149 in the 2007 World Cup final. While not following cricket, he is busy rooting for Chelsea FC)
