Well, this first particular victory of Shikhar Dhawan led Sunrisers Hyderabad over Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL will defiantly boost the morale of Sunrisers Hyderabad, who were being treated as a weaker team against Royal Challengers Bangalore. This is interesting equation as the local favorite RC was expected to win on the home turf in Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. Following a reachable target of 167 runs, the opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner built a solid foundation for their team with 82 runs opening partnership. Warner contributed with his 57 off 27 balls closely followed by Dhawan with 50 off 42 balls, which ended in a comfortable 8 wickets victory.
A happy captain Dhawan, appreciated the efforts done by his bowlers and said “Getting 10 wickets is no small deal, especially against a batting lineup like this. Our bowlers pulled things back wonderfully after the 15th over. They deserve all the credit.”
Although RCB had a very impressive start with Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli scoring freely as they were 93 for 2 in the 12th over but the wonderful bowling at the end from Trent Boult (3 for 36) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2 for 30) tilted the match in the favor of Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Sharing his batting experience with Warner, Dhawan described it as quite impactful. He said “Although we haven’t opened together for a whole lot of matches, we share a good understanding. For instance: In the last match when I was scoring quickly, he played the support role. Today, when he went hammer and tongs, I supported him. We balance each other out well.”
After Warners wicket, Dhawan also played a very responsible role during in a 78-run partnership with KL Rahul, who scored 44 off 28 balls.
Pointing out towards his natural aggressive instinct Dhawan insisted that he had to do it for the team. He said “I reminded myself that I have a job at hand and that requires me to bat in a certain way. When Warner and Kane Williamson got out in a two-over span and Rahul came in, the need of the hour was to build a partnership because one more wicket could have put too much pressure on us. Even if I am feeling confident that I can hit a particular bowler, I have to refrain from doing so. It gives me immense satisfaction to know that I have the ability to stay disciplined and play according to the situation. My aim was to bat 20 overs and see the team home.”
Sunrisers Hyderabad will now be playing against another strong team, the Rajasthan Royals in Vizag on Thursday and the result of that match will prove vital for Sunrisers as another win will enable them to cement their position in the IPL further.