3 reasons why SRH not picking Heinrich Klaasen in their IPL 2023 clash against LSG was the wrong move
On Friday (April 7), the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) lost to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in a rather embarrassing manner. SRH had a terrible day as they were soundly defeated by the home team by five wickets.
At the Ekana Sports City in Lucknow, SRH won the toss and chose to bat first. The decision made by Aiden Markram backfired since the batters could not play well enough on a sluggish wicket.
Anmolpreet Singh (31 off 26) and Rahul Tripathi (34 off 41) tried to hold the innings together. But neither one of them was able to pick up the pace and produce a significant score.
Abdul Samad's ferocious strikes (21* off 10) at the very end were necessary to ensure that his team crossed the 120-run threshold. Many critics argued that the introduction of Heinrich Klaasen as an Impact Player or as part of the regular XI could have helped SRH's cause.
Krunal Pandya (34 off 23) and captain KL Rahul (35 off 31) made sure that the home team crossed the line with relative ease as LSG chased down 122 with little effort. With four overs left, the hosts successfully completed the target while the SRH bowlers were unable to obtain the same help from the pitch.
On that note, let us discuss 3 reasons why Heinrich Klaasen should have been picked in Friday's game against SRH.
#1 Heinrich Klaasen is in great form
The 31-year-old South African national has been in great form in recent months. He (119* runs off 61 balls) struck an unbeaten hundred in the 3rd ODI against West Indies recently, in a knock laced with 15 boundaries and five maximums.
He was also in good touch in the recently-concluded SA20. Thus, an in-form Heinrich Klaasen could have made a massive impact in SRH's batting effort on Friday.
#2 Good record in India
Heinrich Klaasen has a great record in India. In 3 T20I innings that he has played in the country, Klaasen has struck 118 runs at an average of 39.33 and a strike rate of 151.28.
This record is primarily a result of the fact that he is a good player of spin and could have been a savior for the struggling SRH side in the first innings of the match.
#3 Aggressive player
All SRH batters except Abdul Samad struggled to get any sort of momentum into their innings. Thus, SRH needed a player who could take a few chances and play at a decent strike-rate, taking on the LSG spinners.
Klaasen, who has a strike rate of 148.22 in his T20I career, could have been the ideal player for SRH in this situation.