Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) coach Daniel Vettori said that working around their batting line-up and getting the match-ups right with Kamindu Mendis in the mix served the team well against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their Indian Premier League match on Friday.
SRH ended their winless streak against CSK at Chepauk when they defeated the hosts by five wickets here on Friday, scoring 155 for five in 18.4 overs after the hosts were bowled out for 154.
Vettori admitted SRH have not done well on slow and tricky surfaces so far in this IPL which saw them lose to Mumbai Indians in an away game and two matches at home.
“No, we haven’t (done well on those pitches). We’ve encountered them away and we’ve encountered them at home, so it hasn’t quite matched up with our expectations around the surfaces. But the onus is on us to adapt and understand what’s required,” Vettori told media after the match.
Vettori said moving around their players was crucial for SRH against CSK as Mendis played a vital role both with the bat and the ball.
“That’s why the likes of Kamindu came into the team. That’s why there was the shuffle in the batting order, putting (Heinrich) Klaasen up, Nitish (Kumar Reddy) down, to give us a more balanced approach to a chase in particular,” Vettori said.
“The initial plan was around left-right-hand combinations, and that’s in a way to counter Noor (Ahmad) and Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) and how good they are through those middle stages. A lot of the logic was picking him (Mendis) for this ground. We knew what sort of surface we’d come up against and to have a batsman who can play all types of spin, be aggressive, and hit a multitude of shots, that was the starting point,” Vettori added.
Meanwhile, the former New Zealand spinner heaped rich praise on India and Gujarat Titans spinner R Sai Kishore, revealing that he was one player SRH wanted to have in their squad during the mega auction.
“I think Jadeja has got a big future. I think he can really kick on. I’m trying to think… (Mitchell) Santner has obviously been fantastic for Mumbai, Jaddu here, Harpreet Brar has got a few opportunities with Punjab (Kings),” Vettori said.
“Sai Kishore has been the pick. He’s been fantastic. He was a guy that we looked at very closely in the auction and wanted him in the team. He has all the attributes of a very good limited overs bowler. He’s very brave. He has the ability to turn the ball, change his pace over and around the wicket. I think it sets up a template for other spinners to see how you can actually compete and succeed. He’s done it on good batting wickets as well,” Vettori added.
“I know he came to Hyderabad and bowled exceptionally well. So yeah, I think he’s been incredibly impressive,” Vettori concluded.
