SRH have depth in the batting order: VVS Laxman

Former Indian batsman and the Sunrisers Hyderabad mentor in the IPL VVS Laxman has many reasons to be happy. And why not? His side is on a roll, having won a major chunk of their previous matches. Addressing the presser on the day of his team’s match against the Rising Pune Supergiants, the irresistible Laxman stated that the depth in batting was something the Sunrisers boasted of. With the likes of Deepak Hooda, Moises Henriques, and even the returning Yuvraj Singh, the Sunrisers have a significantly strong batting lineup.

Laxman said, “We have got enough depth in our batting order. All of them are practicing hard. Everyone is preparing well to make use of the opportunities whenever it arises,”

“The depth in our batting is something which we were very conscious about when we went into the auction. Because in the last two years we were top heavy and we didn’t have enough firepower in the middle-order. Whereas if you see now, Naman Ojha came in at No. 7 in the last match, Moises at No. 6, Deepak at No. 5 and Morgan at No. 4. So I think we have got enough depth in our batting, plus we have got bowlers like Bipul, Karn, Bhuvneshwar who can also bat. So I think we are very pleased. We are very fortunate to have a very flexible and formidable batting line-up,” he added.

Laxman also said that most of the onus in T20 cricket is on the top three batsmen in the batting order. David Warner, the opener, and the skipper has been in sublime touch while Shikhar Dhawan remains to be finding his feet. Deepak Hooda, Eoin Morgan, and others have also made decent contributions with the bat thus far.

“The top three batsmen are very crucial in T20 format. They give the momentum for the later batsmen to come and express themselves. They create a foundation where everyone can come and play their natural game. But the moment you lose wickets in the first six overs, then you are always under pressure. I think the way Shikhar played in the last two games, gives us a lot of confidence and he’s an impact player and a match-winner. I am sure he is only going to get better and better and Warner is in exceptional form. I think it’s important to continue the good work. The more good opening partnerships we have, we’ll be in a better position to do well as a batting unit,” the 41-year-old opined.

“Because we’ve got a good bowling attack, we look to restrict the opposition and then back our batsmen to go out and get that score. But it totally depends on the conditions and it varies from ground to ground. But here we have seen probably the best wicket in the competition so far, so more often than not I think we will look to chase,” the stylish Hyderabadi batsman revealed.

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