IPL 2023: We were not 'at our best' against MI, admits SRH skipper Aiden Markram

Hyderabad: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) skipper Aiden Markram admitted that his side were ‘not at the best’ against Mumbai Indians (MI) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) contest in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

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Sunrisers Hyderabad kept losing wickets at regular intervals as they failed to chase down a target of 193 against Mumbai Indians. The Hyderabad-based franchise were eventually restricted to 178, courtesy a clinical performance from MI’s bowlers.

Most of their batters failed to get going. Mayank Agarwal (48) and Heinrich Klaasen (38) looked good, but were dismissed at crucial junctures, while Markram failed to convert a start into a big knock.

“All in all we were not at our best tonight. Credit to the boys for taking it deep. We could have done with conceding fewer runs towards the end. It (the surface) stayed pretty much the same throughout the night, on the slower side, not bad at all. Whenever we took pace off the ball did not come on to the bat,” said Markram at the post-match presentation ceremony.

“We made a call (to bowl first) before the toss and if the dew came in then we were in the game. There was a desperation to make things right from the previous season. Not too bummed, there are areas we can improve on and we will look to do that to give us a good chance to win the next game,” he added.

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Rohit Sharma, who has previously played for the now defunct-Deccan Chargers, briefly recalled his early days in the IPL.

“I have got lot of memories here (in Hyderabad). I played three years here. Won a trophy as well. Love coming back here. To settle them (youngsters) in is important for us. We had a couple of guys who hadn’t played IPL before. We had to back them. They are coming into their own. I am enjoying what I am doing (with the bat),” said Rohit.

“It is a different role. I am trying to set the tempo. Glad to get some scores in the powerplay. I understand one of us has to bat big. We have a long batting line-up. We want these guys to come out and bat freely. We watched Tilak last season. We all know what he can. I love his approach. He doesn’t play the bowler, he plays the ball. We will see him play for a lot of teams,” he added.

Rohit termed Arjun Tendulkar, who claimed his first wicket on Tuesday, as a confident bowler.

“Arjun has been a part of this team for three years. He understands what he wants to do. He is quite confident as well. He is clear in his plans. He is trying to swing the new ball and bowl yorkers at the death,” added Rohit.

Cameron Green, the Player of the Match, was glad that the plans worked despite a ‘sticky’ situation. Green scored an unbeaten 64 and took a wicket during SRH’s reply.

“I think first couple of games were a learning curve for me and our team. Bit of a sticky situation (when I walked out to bat). But glad the plans came off. I am a work in progress with my bowling at the death. Obviously, we can continue with the winning momentum,” said Green.

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