Trevor Bayliss, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) coach opened up about the reason why Vijay Shankar batted ahead of Abdul Samad during the match against Kolkata Knight Riders in the ongoing IPL 2021.
Sunrisers Hyderabad lost the match against Kolkata Knight Riders at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday (April 12). While chasing 188, Sunrisers Hyderabad found themselves 10 runs short in spite of losing only five wickets in the match.
Trevor Bayliss: Vijay Shankar Was SRH’s Best Player During The Practice Games
Vijay Shankar, who batted at the number six position for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the game, failed to hit big shots when the team needed a high required rate to win. After arriving on the crease in the 16th over, Vijay Shankar played 7 balls and could only score 11 runs. Abdul Samad, who arrived after Vijay Shankar’s dismissal, hit 19 runs off just 8 balls along with two sixes.
Trevor Bayliss revealed that Vijay Shankar was their best player during the practice matches. For Sunrisers Hyderabad, Manish Pandey (61*) and Jonny Bairstow (55) played beautiful knocks. Abdul Samad also scored quick runs (19* off 8) in the end but the team ultimately remained short of 10 runs for victory.
“The practice matches that we had a few days ago, Vijay Shankar was our best player. He struck the ball beautifully. He hit the many balls long over the fence,” Trevor Bayliss said.
Speaking about Abdul Samad, Sunrisers Hyderabad coach said that he has shown that he has got a lot of talent.
“From the first ball he faced, Samad was in a short space of time. In the last and this IPL, he has shown that he has got a lot of talent and he is a plain striker of the ball.
“I think he will get more experience when he gets more opportunities,” Trevor Bayliss added.
Vijay Shankar scored 97 runs in 7 matches averaging a modest 24.25 in IPL 2020 while also picking 4 scalps at an average of 20.5 last season. Abdul Samad managed 111 runs in 12 games averaging a modest 22.2 but his strike rate was an exceptional 170.76 in IPL 2020.
Nitish Rana And Rahul Tripathi Ensures KKR’s Victory
Kolkata Knight Riders batted first in the match and put up 187-6 on the scoreboard. Opener Nitish Rana (80) and one-down Rahul Tripathi (53) smashed half-centuries. A quickfire knock of 22 off 9 balls by keeper Dinesh Karthik helped KKR to reach a defendable total in the end. KKR’s Nitish Rana was awarded player of the match for his 80-run knock.
Nitish Rana who recovered after testing COVID-19 positive earlier top-scored with 80 off 56 balls which included 9 fours and 4 sixes. The Eoin Morgan-led side eventually walked home as the winners by a margin of 10 runs despite Manish Pandey’s fighting unbeaten 61, Jonny Bairstow’s 55, and Abdul Samad’s late blitz. The latter scored an unbeaten 19 off 8 balls and looked threatening.