IPL 2021: Very important one set batsman plays through innings quite deep, says Laxman

SunRisers Hyderabad mentor VVS Laxman said that it is very important that a set batsman should play deep through the innings as the wicket here at the Chepauk Stadium is slow and a new batter takes time to adjust to it.

Hyderabad suffered their second successive loss in the season after they failed to chase 151 against Mumbai Indians on Saturday.

Quinton de Kock and Rohit Sharma played knocks of 40 and 32, but SRH managed to maintain a stranglehold as Mumbai Indians were restricted to 150/5. In response, SRH was bundled out for 137 despite a flying start given by Jonny Bairstow."As the ball gets older in the second half of the innings it is getting tougher to play your natural game or big shots because the ball is just stopping on to the wicket. It's also two-paced and spinners are extracting turn along with bounce. That's one of the aspects which we definitely discussed," Laxman said while replying to an ANI query at the post-match press conference.

"If you see the way Jonny Bairstow and David Warner capitalise on the powerplay that will be very important going forward especially when you are playing on slower tracks like what we are seeing in Chennai," he said.

"Also it is very important that one set batsman plays through the innings quite deep. It is very difficult for a newcomer to get used to the surface straight away especially when the asking rate is climbing up. I think the first 10 overs the way you show your aggressive and positive intent will definitely help the second half of the innings for the batsman," he added.

Laxman also highlighted that SRH played too many dot balls and failed to rotate strike easily. He said on slower wickets rotating the strike plays a part in the game.

"That's a very important skill especially on these kinds of wickets because it is not very easy to hit through the line, you can't just rely on boundaries or sixes. It is very important to keep the dot ball percentage low and the only way you can do is by rotating the strike and manipulating the field. I think that's one aspect of the game which is very important on these wickets," he said.

"Unfortunately, we were not able to do that especially when Rahul Chahar was bowling or even when the other fast bowlers were bowling in the middle-overs. That's one aspect which is very crucial if you have to put pressure back on the bowlers or fielding side," the former India batsman added.

When asked about the reason why pacer T Natarajan did not play in the game, Laxman said, "Unfortunately, Natarajan had a niggle in his left knee and that's why he was ruled out and that's why we went with Khaleel Ahmed who is also a left-arm seamer...We are going to assess the condition of Natarajan and I am sure the medical staff of the Sunrisers will take the right decision which will be beneficial for him and the franchise."

Khaleel Ahmed replaced Natarajan in the XI and Laxman was impressed with his spell. He returned with the figures of 1-24 in his four overs. "I was very impressed with the way he bowled. In his first game of the season, he assessed the conditions really well and used a lot of his variations along with extracting a lot of pace and bounce off the surface. So a lot of positives [to take] for SRH from the way Khaleel Ahmed bowled," Laxman said.

SRH will next play against Punjab Kings here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday.

(ANI)

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