NEW DELHI: Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad highlighted the deceptive nature of the slow pitch in Hyderabad as a contributing factor in the team’s defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday.
The sluggish surface hindered CSK’s batting momentum, preventing them from posting a challenging total.
Gaikwad’s assessment underscored the challenges posed by pitch conditions in T20 cricket.
SRH, who comfortably regained momentum with a convincing six-wicket triumph in their IPL encounter, handed CSK’s second consecutive defeat in the tournament.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers effectively curtailed CSK’s scoring opportunities, limiting them to a manageable total of 165 for 5. Subsequently, Sunrisers Hyderabad chased down the target with relative ease, reaching it in 18.1 overs.
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Abhishek Sharma kickstarted the innings with a blistering 37 off just 12 deliveries, providing impetus to the chase. Aiden Markram‘s composed 50 off 36 balls and Travis Head‘s steady 31 off 24 balls further bolstered the Sunrisers’ pursuit, contributing significantly to the team’s victory.
Although several CSK batsmen made promising starts, they failed to convert them into substantial innings. Shivam Dube emerged as the top scorer for CSK, smashing 45 runs off 24 balls, inclusive of four sixes and two fours.
However, his efforts were insufficient to propel CSK to a formidable total, ultimately falling short against the disciplined bowling attack of SRH.
Crediting SRH bowlers, Gaikwad clearly stated that CSK couldn’t encash the last five overs despite being in a good position at the halfway stage.
“It was a slow pitch. At the back end they bowled well. We couldn’t capitalise in the last five overs. We were in a good situation halfway but they bowled well at the back.
Black soil pitch, so we expected the slowness. As the ball got older, it got slower,” Gaikwad said at the post-match interaction.
“They used the conditions well – big boundary at one end. We did not bowl well in the powerplay but did well to drag the game. 170-175 is par, if we would have had a good powerplay with the ball, we could have had the game. There was slight dew at the later stage. Moeen was spinning the ball in the 15th-16th over, so not much of a difference,” Gaikwad added.
