Sunrisers Hyderabad suffered a humiliating batting collapse against Gujarat Titans and crashed to an 82-run defeat after being bowled out for just 86 while chasing 169 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. It turned into a disastrous night for the 2016 champions, whose aggressive batting approach completely misfired on a surface that offered movement and bounce for the fast bowlers. SRH never looked settled in the chase and kept losing wickets at regular intervals as Gujarat’s pacers took full control of the contest.
Mohammed Siraj set the tone early by dismissing Travis Head cheaply, before Kagiso Rabada tore through the top order by removing Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan in the powerplay. Jason Holder then piled on the misery with a three-wicket spell as SRH’s star-studded batting line-up, including Heinrich Klaasen, failed to cope with the relentless pace attack. Gujarat eventually wrapped up a dominant victory in one-sided fashion.
Former India captain Kris Srikkanth criticised Abhishek's approach during SRH’s collapse against GT, questioning the batter’s shot selection and lack of composure despite getting off to a quick start in the innings.
"Abhishek Sharma smashed the first ball for six. Why is he charging the second ball? He should have got out that ball itself, but eventually charged again to be dismissed on the fourth ball. You need to show some application. They are brilliant only when the going is good. Their batters can keep winning Orange Caps or any other cap. But sometimes you have to apply yourself," Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
{{/usCountry}}"Abhishek Sharma smashed the first ball for six. Why is he charging the second ball? He should have got out that ball itself, but eventually charged again to be dismissed on the fourth ball. You need to show some application. They are brilliant only when the going is good. Their batters can keep winning Orange Caps or any other cap. But sometimes you have to apply yourself," Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
{{/usCountry}}Travis Head slammed for inconsistent show
Srikkanth also took aim at Sunrisers Hyderabad’s reckless batting display, saying such an approach would not help them become a title-winning side, while also pointing out Head’s struggles against quality pace bowling this season.
"If they are going to become a championship side, this kind of batting will not do. Rabada just does everything with the ball at high speeds. His line was fully on the stumps at Test match lengths. Travis Head hasn't been able to lay bat on ball this entire season. He scored flukishly in a couple of matches through dropped catches," said Srikkanth.
He further singled out Travis Head for his approach during the chase, questioning the SRH opener’s shot selection and lack of application on a pitch that demanded far greater caution from the batters.
"When you know you are not connecting well, why play shots? He's playing on the on-side and getting out to third man on the off-side. SRH only bowled first and saw that the pitch was hard against the medium pacers. Shouldn't someone like Travis Head apply? Can you just score like that by slogging blindly?" he concluded.