IPL 2018: Match 4, SRH vs RR- Who Said What

The fourth match between the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Rajasthan Royals turned out to be a one-sided affair in favour of Kane Williamson’s men. The Orange Army was authoritative in their approach, which turned out to be too hot to handle for the Royals. Ajinkya Rahane’s men were outplayed in all departments and they were thumped black and blue.

After winning the toss and electing to field first, the Sunrisers dictated terms to the Royals. Barring Sanju Samson, no other batsman looked comfortable as wickets kept falling like nine pins, much to the discomfort of Ajinkya Rahane‘s men. Kane Williamson pinned D’Arcy Short with a stupendous direct hit, which acted as a moment of inspiration for the Orange Army.

Rahane partnered Samson pretty expertly, however, couldn’t add on to his score and finally perished to Siddarth Kaul. Thereafter, Rahul Tripathi threatened with a couple of boundaries only to become Shakib Al Hasan’s maiden victim of the tournament. Sanju Samson was dismissed at the brink of a half-century and afterwards, the innings capsized for the Royals.

The Sunrisers dominance continues  

The Royals needed early wickets to get themselves back into contention for a comeback. Jaydev Unadkat picked up Wriddhiman Saha to draw first blood for the Royals. However, the wicket turned out to be the only moment of joy for the visitors. Kane Williamson and Shikhar Dhawan trod the aggressive route and traced down the target with minimum efforts.

Most importantly, David Warner’s absence hardly made a difference to the team and chased the modest target with a mammoth 25 balls to space. Shikhar Dhawan was devastating in his approach and racked up his 29th half-century in the IPL. The game was eventually won in a canter by the Sunrisers, which also took them to the top of the table.

Here is what the captains said after the game

Kane Williamson- Sunrisers Hyderabad

“No doubt we missed Davey (Warner). He’s been a fantastic player for a lot of years. Good to see everyone stepping up. Guys were great on the field and all did their roles well. It was nice to see people step up well with both bat and ball. All the bowlers certainly played their part. We got wickets at key times, but it was important we fielded well. We took some really good catches. A team effort. Yes, there are small areas we can still improve. (On bowling a lot of short balls) It wasn’t a planned thing, the surface was such that the short ball was coming on nicely. There was something for the pacers and the spinners while the batsmen were also to score runs. A fair surface actually. (On Dhawan’s innings) I had the best seat in the house, he hit it really well. The intent was great from ball one. Saha also showed intent from the start. Hopefully, we can keep it up in the coming games as well.”

Ajinkya Rahane- Rajasthan Royals

“We thought 126 was on the lower side. When we were batting we thought 160 would be a great total. We did quite well as a bowling unit, but the Sunrisers were excellent with the ball. Sanju (Samson) and I tried to back our game but lost too many wickets in the middle, and that’s where we lost the game. I think the lack of one big partnership is what cost us. Even one partnership would have given us a more competitive total. I’m very unhappy with the dropped catch. I work very hard on my fielding during practice, but it’s a part and parcel of the game – you have some bad days. It’s the first game, and we have to learn from our mistakes and not repeat them in future.”

Player of the Match- Shikhar Dhawan

“I enjoy playing long innings. It benefits the team, it benefits me. Trying to stretch the good form as long as possible and score big runs for as long as I can. I’ve been playing more aggressively since South Africa series and the Sri Lanka series, and not just in this IPL. So I’m just continuing with that formula, and I’m happy with it. We have a very balanced team, which is the strength of our side, and that is the key. We have started the tournament on a good note, and hopefully, that’ll help us and give us the momentum for the rest of the tournament.”