“That makes no sense….”: Finch slams Axar’s decision to bowl part-timer Nitish Rana against SRH
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], April 22 (ANI): Former Australian captain criticised Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper Axar Patel's decision to bowl Nitish Rana's part-time spin for its full quota of four overs instead of his side's premier spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and himself.
A stroke-filled 135* in 68 balls from Abhishek Sharma and a four-wicket haul from Eshan Malinga were the highlights as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) started to establish themselves back in title contention with a 47-run win over Delhi Capitals (DC) while defending 245 runs. One of the biggest errors on DC's part was bowling Nitish's part-time spin for its full quota of four overs, during which he conceded 55 runs. But Axar and Kuldeep, two full-fledged spinners, only bowled two overs each, conceding 53 runs combined.
Speaking during ESPNCricinfo's TimeOut show, Finch said, "We have been sitting there scratching our heads, have not we? Your two Indian premier spin bowlers, Axar Patel, the skipper, and Kuldeep Yadav, they bowled four overs between them. A part-time offspinner in Nitish Rana has wheeled out four overs. To me, that makes no sense."
Finch said that Axar not trusting himself under pressure to defend against left-handers, despite being a two-time T20 World Cup winner, says a lot about his attitude.
"It is the responsibility of your captain, your senior player, your retained player, your best bowler, an Indian bowler, he is one of your core bowlers in the Indian cricket team. That is no small bit. He's a double World Cup winner. So the fact that he does not trust himself to execute under pressure and to defend himself against any left-handers. To me that says more about his attitude towards it than anything else," he added.
Coming to the match, DC won the toss and opted to field first. A 97-run opening stand between Abhishek and Travis Head (37 in 26 balls, with two fours and two sixes) started things for SRH. Abhishek batted the entire innings, ending with 135* in 68 balls, with 10 fours and 10 sixes, creating partnerships with skipper Ishan Kishan (25 in 13 balls, with two fours and a six) and Heinrich Klaasen (37* in 13 balls, with three fours and three sixes), taking SRH to 244/2 in 20 overs.
During the run-chase, after losing Pathum Nissanka early, KL Rahul (37 in 23 balls, with a four and three sixes) and Nitish Rana (57 in 30 balls, with seven fours and three sixes) put together a partnership of 86 runs. But after their dismissals, DC fell apart, with Eshan Malinga (4/32 in four overs), Sakib Hussain (1/29 in four overs) and Harsh Dubey (3/12 in two overs) reducing DC to 195/9.
SRH is in third place in the points table, with four wins and three losses, while DC is at fifth spot with three wins and three losses. (ANI)
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