“It’s been a really tough season, but it’s great to see these small improvements,” Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Kane Williamson said after a thrilling match as Orange Army beat Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore by four runs.
“We thought the total was competitive and we saw that fight with the full ball as well,” Williamson said.
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It has been a forgettable season for the former champions as they have accumulated only 6 points so far, which means they have won just three matches this season out of which they have now played 13. Nothing worked for him this season; His enviable top-order of David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson and Manish Pandey failed to give him a start, with Kane Williamson being the only batsman in his team to cross the 250-run mark.
Their middle-order problems persisted this season despite the inclusion of Kedar Jadhav, and despite having a few heavy in their arsenal like Rashid Khan, their bowling attack seemed too normal.
In the match, Virat Kohli won the toss and asked SRH to bat. With nothing to lose, he sent Jason Roy to the opening along with Abhishek Sharma. However, his hoax didn’t work as the youngster was out in no time. Kane Williamson then joined Jason Roy in the middle and the duo added 70 runs for the second wicket.
“I was just trying to maximize the powerplay and the ball was catching on the surface and we were lucky to form a partnership and we knew things wouldn’t be quick from a bowling point of view but we knew that if we got our nerves By maintaining and staying there for the long term, we can build that pressure,” Williamson said after the match.
The Blackcaps captain was dismissed for 84 and after that his team could only add 57 runs in the remaining 8.3 overs.
Defending 141, SRH got off to a great start as Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed Virat Kohli in the very first over. Dan Christian left soon after. Glenn Maxwell then joined Padikkal in the middle, and just when it looked like this partnership could take RCB home, Kane Williamson rose to the occasion with brilliant fielding to dismiss the dangerous Australian.
“The game was getting tight and it was important to get him (Maxwell) out anyway, they are a fantastic side and even though we are not in contention, it was great to watch the fight,” he added.
He also praised young Umran Malik, who bowled at a fast pace and was instrumental in checking RCB’s run flow. “He’s definitely special. We’ve seen him in the nets over the last few seasons and he’s a real competitor and proving to be effective even on slow surfaces.”
“They also have a lot of teammates and that helps in sharing knowledge. It’s a great opportunity for the youth to get involved and hopefully we keep learning and we will go again on Friday.”
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