IPL 2016: Ashish Nehra injury big blow for Sunrisers Hyderabad, says Eoin Morgan
England limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan has reportedly admitted that the Sunrisers Hyderabad are badly missing out on the services of Ashish Nehra after the latter was forced out of the IPL due to a hamstring injury. The veteran Indian pace bowler has been one of the influential figures in SRH's success this season. Nehra not only grabbed 9 wickets in the season but also proved to be a mentor for the likes of Mustafizur Rahman and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
At a press conference after the match against Delhi Daredevils, Morgan rued the absence of the 37-year old but, at the same time, praised youngster Barinder Sran for trying to fill his shoes in the team. He said, "Obviously it was a big blow missing Ashish. He was injured after the first game of Bangalore. So (Barinder) Sran came in then and did really well. It was a quite easy transition for him. Today he took wickets for us.. so whole credit to him."
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It was a tough night for table-toppers Hyderabad as they lost to a fighting Delhi Daredevils side by 6 wickets. A couple of easy catches were put down by the fielders towards the last few overs of the DD chase, one of them by skipper David Warner himself. About the missed opportunities, Morgan said, "“Yes we had chances… I mean the tough lesson learned."
In response to a question on Warner's captaincy, the 29-year old remarked, "Every individual has his own unique way of leading and David is a little bit different to mine. But David works, certainly I believe in, mine works. So simple, to do what you believe in and what is your strength."
A query was also raised about very few big shots coming in the middle overs of the Sunrisers innings. "Probably 160 was a par score. I think we did finish well. We have plenty of power hitters, if you look at the middle order Henriques, Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh) and myself right down," Morgan responded.
Sunrisers Hyderabad's last game in the league stage is against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday and they will want to win it in order to lay claim to one of the top two spots in the playoffs.