GT out to bring SRH back to ground

Ahmedabad, March 30

A depleted Gujarat Titans’ bowling attack will have to raise its game if it intends to stop a marauding Sunrisers Hyderabad team fresh from its record total against Mumbai Indians in their IPL match here tomorrow.

SRH are coming into the game on the back of breaking the ceiling for all-time IPL total when they plundered 277 against Mumbai Indians to secure their first win of the season.

Skipper Shubman Gill’s GT, who started off with a win at home against MI, were defeated by Chennai Super Kings in their previous game.

The profligate Umesh Yadav is not like-for-like replacement for injured Mohammed Shami and that is proving to be a big factor for GT. Up against the likes of Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen, Rashid Khan too will have his hands full.

The resounding 63-run defeat affected GT’s net run-rate, too, as it plummeted to -1.425 — worst among the league’s 10 teams — which could cause some problems towards the business end of the tournament.

“We know that teams end up on the same points and you know one goes through (based on NRR). So, it’s something that we are constantly mindful of,” GT’s mentor Gary Kirsten said on the eve of the game.

‘Gill embracing captaincy’

GT might have made a topsy-turvy start but Kirsten backed Gill, and said the young captain will learn the nuances of making tactical decisions in the fast-paced world of T20 cricket.

“It’s a fast game. You are making tactical decisions on a regular basis. It’s not like Test cricket where it unfolds over a long period of time. I think he’s embraced it (captaincy) really well. He’s shown some good leadership qualities. He’s a young captain, and there’s lots to learn, especially in T20,” he said.