We were 20-30 runs short: Dhawan

Having put themselves in a position to win the game before Rajasthan came storming back, Hyderabad captain Shikhar Dhawan said he and his team were confident of defending the sub-par total they had put up on the board. Batting first, Hyderabad could only manage 133/6 on the board despite Dhawan(38), David Warner(32) and Lokesh Rahul(20) all enjoying good starts.

However, they made the total seem much more than it actually was thanks to some great bowling, especially from Amit Mishra and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, before some good hitting in the last 2 overs helped the inaugural Indian T20 League(T20 League) champions prevail in a tight encounter by 4 wickets.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Dhawan lamented on the fact that him and the other batsmen could not carry on after getting good starts. He added that a total of close to 150 would have been ideal for his side.

“150 would have been a good total, we were short by 20-30 runs. The track was two-paced to start with but once we got our eye in, we were able to play shots. Unfortunately, Warner and I could not carry on (after the starts) and that put us on the back foot. The batsmen need to score more and give the bowlers more to work with.”

“We had the confidence about defending the total because we done that many times in the past, but the boys tried really hard. The guys did well to take the game to the last over,” he added.

Shane Watson, the captain of the Rajasthan side was a relieved man after his side almost threw the match away. He said his side always knew that chasing down any total against a quality bowling attack would be challenging and credited Ajinkya Rahane, who anchored the innings with a fine fifty, and Stuart Binny, who applied the finishing touches with a hard-working 48, for helping the side through.

“We knew with their batting line-up their score was low.

The quality of their bowlers is great too, and it was always going to be challenging to chase. Ajinkya Rahane and Stuart Binny played really well for us, and helped us win. The wicket played really nicely, the playing conditions were great and the outfield was superb too,” Watson said.

Man of the match, Ajinkya Rahane, speaking about his innings, said he planned to take the game one ball at a time and play his natural game. He heaped praise on Binny for holding the other end up and forging a match-winning partnership.

He also had a word of praise for the Hyderabad bowlers.

“When we lost 3 early wickets, I wanted to bat for as long as possible. The pitch was a good one and I just wanted to ensure I play my natural game. When Stuart Binny came to the crease we decided to take it one ball at a time. Binny is really good in these tight situations and I enjoy playing with him. Credit goes to Sunrisers bowlers for making it tough for us. The first 6 overs, especially was difficult,” he concluded.