RGICS has not been a happy hunting ground for the Eagles
Shikhar Dhawan (centre) kicks a football during a training session in Hyderabad on Friday. (Photo: P. Surendra)
Hyderabad: Having played half their games hopping about the country, the Sunrisers have finally come home for a match. The rickety ride has driven them to the basement. Now, the challenge for the stop-start side is to take on the team at the top. There has been much wear and tear, but the Eagles must dare.
Avenging their first-leg defeat to the Yellows will be on SRH minds at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium on Saturday night, which is bound to be feverish with the big boys at play. With three (David Warner, Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith) of the five best run-getters in the current edition and two (Ashish Nehra and Dwayne Bravo) from the bowling top bracket in action, the match promises to be a spectator’s delight.
Last time the two teams squared up this season, Chennai won by 45 runs after pasting the SRH bowlers to post 209 — McCullum smashed an unbeaten 100 and captain M.S. Dhoni slammed 53. The average show against KKR on Thursday notwithstanding, Chennai’s batting line-up resembles a concrete wall — McCullum, Smith, Suresh Raina, Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo, M.S. Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja radiate potency that can unsettle opposition bowlers.
Against that backdrop, SRH seamers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Trent Boult will have to spearhead the attack to engineer cracks in Chennai’s strong structure. They would need helping hands as well. Local lad Ashish Reddy — who has showcased his utility value in good measure — and allrounder Moises Henriques will have to punch a lot higher and play supporting roles. The Oranges need to deliver peaches.
On the batting front, Warner and Shikhar Dhawan have been the prominent Runraisers for the Sunrisers. The heavyduty openers have got Eagles off to good starts but it’s the rest of the line-up that is a cause for concern. The hosts are also yet to settle their overseas combination with the cards being changed constantly.
Historically the RGICS has not been a happy hunting ground for the Eagles. They have lost three of their four games here last season. The odds might be stacked up against them but there are quite a few positives the home side could draw strength from.
SRH go into the match on the back of a 20-run win over Kings XI Punjab and adequate rest while Chennai take to the field a day after landing in the city following their away defeat to Kolkata. The Sunrisers have had four full days to recuperate, and must have spent considerable time at the drawing board.
The home fans hope they’ll paint a happy picture on the ground.
( Source : dc )
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