IPL 2021: 3 takeaways from SRH's batting against KKR
SRH had a sizeable target to chase in their first IPL match of 2021 against KKR. After a costly bowling performance that saw Nitish Rana and Rahul Tripathi go berserk for KKR, David Warner's men were off to a shaky start.
They eventually fell short of the target, finishing with 177-5 despite solid knocks from Jonny Bairstow and Manish Pandey, and an 8-ball-19 blitz by Abdul Samad towards the end of the innings
We take a look at the takeaways from SRH's batting after faltering in their chase on a slow Chennai track.
Slow start after losing their openers early
Shakib Al Hasan proved pretty early in the game that the move to pick him over Sunil Narine played dividends. He got rid of Wriddhiman Saha early, while Prasidh Krishna removed Warner.
Jonny Bairstow and Manish Pandey switched to recovery mode as SRH limped from 10-2 to 35 in their six overs resulting in a damage control powerplay rather than a counter-attacking one.
Manish Pandey and Jonny Bairstow's brilliance promises a steady middle order for SRH
Jonny Bairstow was undeterred by the fall of wickets as he went about finding the ropes regularly with Pandey. Bairstow cracked a quickfire fifty in 32 balls.
Pandey, on the other hand, showed no signs of rust as he picked gaps and found boundaries at regular intervals. The duo saw off the early spin threat of Shakib and milked Varun Chakravarthy and Harbhajan Singh, keeping the side in the hunt until Bairstow holed out to Nitish Rana after trying to slap a Pat Cummins delivery. He made 55 off 39 balls.
The Karnataka batsman kept the scoreboard ticking as he notched up his 19th IPL fifty. Pandey saw off Chakravarthy's threat with the spinner finishing with figures of 4-0-36-0, but he couldn't see the team home despite staying in until the end unbeaten on 61 off 44 balls.
Did SRH miss a trick by benching Kane Williamson?
Having Mohammad Nabi at No.5 might have raised a few eyebrows, but he was roped in predominantly for his all-round skills, and there have been times when Williamson is a better option for SRH. His scratchy 11-ball-14 by the end of the 16th over just put SRH in a spot of bother with the required rate inching by the ball.
Whether they will bring in Williamson when they take on the RCB on Wednesday (April 14) remains to be seen.