"He's been incredibly impressive": SRH head coach Daniel Vettori on Kamindu Mendis

New Delhi [India] April 26 (ANI): Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) head coach Daniel Vettori said he was impressed with all-rounder Kamindu Mendis's performance during their IPL clash against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Friday.

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He explained that Mendis was selected due to his ability to play spin on this specific ground, his aggressive batting style, and his range of shots.

Vettori also praised Mendis's bowling skills.

"I think he's been incredibly impressive [Kamindu Mendis]. I mean, a lot of the logic was picking him for this ground here that we knew what sort of surface would come up against, and to have a batsman who has the ability to play all types of spin, be aggressive, be able to hit a multitude of shots. So that, I mean, that's the starting point is batting. And then I think I probably didn't quite appreciate how good his bowling was with both arms, and his ability to go back and forward and control his pace and even change his pace is a real skill," Vettori said in the post-match press conference.

Vettori believed that winning the toss and bowling first helped SRH mitigate the dew factor, which he considered a problem during their bowling innings. He pointed to SRH bowler Zeeshan wiping the ball in the first innings.

"I think we were fortunate in winning the toss and being able to bowl first to mitigate a little bit of that dew. I think even during our bowling innings, there were some times where we felt it was becoming an issue. I think you saw Zeeshan wiping the ball," he added.

A four-wicket haul by Harshal Patel and solid knocks from Ishan Kishan and Kamindu Mendis were the highlights as SRH defeated CSK by five wickets on Friday.

With this win, SRH has jumped to number eight in the points table with three wins and six losses, giving them six points. On the other hand, CSK is at the bottom with two wins and seven losses, giving them just four points. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)