IPL 2021: "We don’t show off or brag about ourselves like other teams" - Shreevats Goswami on SRH
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) wicketkeeper-batsman Shreevats Goswami has said his team's biggest strength is not making any hoopla around itself like other IPL franchises.
Sunrisers Hyderabad has been one of the most consistent IPL teams since its induction in IPL 2013. SRH won the title in 2016 under David Warner's tutelage and since then has been the only team to qualify in the top-4 every IPL season.
In an interaction with ESPNcricinfo, Shreevats Goswami said the Orange Army goes about its business unpretentiously and doesn’t believe in "showing off.
“The biggest strength of Sunrisers Hyderabad is that we go about our jobs quietly and calmly. We’re not like other teams because we don’t show off or brag about ourselves. We just calmly play the game,” said Shreevats Goswami.
Last year as well, SRH managed to turn things around after a middling first half. They defeated the top 3 teams of the season and stormed their way into the playoffs based on NRR points.
SRH then knocked Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) out in the Eliminator, before losing to Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 2.
"It is definitely special to play against MS Dhoni" - Shreevats Goswami
Shreevats Goswami has been associated with the IPL since the inaugural edition in 2008. He also won the Emerging Player Award that season.
The southpaw has played for RCB, Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders. He has featured in 31 games in the tournament, scoring 293 runs at an average of 14.65.
At SRH he occupies the position of backup wicketkeeper, behind the likes of Jonny Bairstow and Wriddhiman Saha.
When asked about which team he would love to play against the most, Goswami chose his Under-19 captain Virat Kohli's RCB and former Indian captain MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings.
The Bengal gloveman said it was 'definitely special' to get an opportunity to compete against Dhoni.
“I haven’t had that many opportunities to play in the IPL so picking one team is tough because I’d like to play against any team But if you make me pick one, I’ll pick Royal Challengers Bangalore, since it was the first team I played for in the IPL, and I like playing at the Chinnaswamy Stadium," said Shreevats Goswami.
The 31-year-old added in this regard:
“I like playing against everyone, no one in particular. But it is definitely special to play against (MS) Dhoni. Chennai Super Kings is a good team too, so it’s good playing against them."
IPL 2021 is set to begin on April 9. SRH will play their first game against KKR on April 11.