David Warner’s sacking as Sunrisers Hyderabad captain took many experts of the game by surprise. The team management made the decision after the Orange Army went off to a poor start in the Indian Premier League (2021). Not only Warner was removed as the captain but was also dropped from the playing XI in the fixture against Rajasthan Royals.
A change in leadership didn’t yield a positive result as SRH lost the game by 55 runs. Before Kane Williamson could create a difference with his leadership, the tournament was suspended and the team ended eighth with just one win out of 7 matches.
Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar believes that the SRH think tank needs to reflect about the steps they had taken. Writing in his column for Sportstar, the batting legend questioned that if captains can be changed midway through a season, then why can’t coaches be treated the same?
“Hyderabad will also get time to think about its decision to not just sack David Warner as the captain but even to drop him from the playing XI. Warner was getting runs but not in the same assertive manner of earlier years. Still, with little support from the others, those runs were precious. Yet, he was left out of the playing XI, which was strange. Without the cares of captaincy, he could have been the galvanizing batsman that the team needed,” wrote Sunil Gavaskar.
{{/usCountry}}“Hyderabad will also get time to think about its decision to not just sack David Warner as the captain but even to drop him from the playing XI. Warner was getting runs but not in the same assertive manner of earlier years. Still, with little support from the others, those runs were precious. Yet, he was left out of the playing XI, which was strange. Without the cares of captaincy, he could have been the galvanizing batsman that the team needed,” wrote Sunil Gavaskar.
{{/usCountry}}“While the rights and wrongs of dropping him as captain could well be debated for long, the question that needs to be asked is if captains can be changed midway, why can’t coaches be treated the same? In football, the moment a team starts faltering, it’s the manager who is shown the exit door, so why not in cricket too?" Sunil Gavaskar added.
It was probably the worst start to SRH’s campaign in a season of IPL. Despite getting good starts in a couple of encounters, they failed to finish the game successfully. With half of the season ended, they had just 2 points in their kitty.
The cricketer-turned-commentator further said that the Sunrisers would have been relieved that the IPL 2021 had to be suspended.
“Sunrisers Hyderabad had a forgettable beginning and would have been relieved that the event had to be suspended...the suspension could well be a blessing in disguise as it allows time for a calm, cool and proper introspection rather than in the hurly-burly of the tournament itself,” Gavaskar wrote.