In the absence of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow, Manish Pandey made the most of the opportunity against Mumbai Indians (MI), though, his gunfire could not help Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to end on winning side at Wankhede Stadium, but received a lot of applause for his efforts on Thursday, 2nd May.
Coming to bat at the number three, Pandey smacked a brilliant unbeaten knock of 71 off 47 balls while his last-ball six helped the SRH tie the match with MI in Mumbai, though, the hosts eventually won the match in Super Over to seal a place in the IPL 2019 playoffs on Thursday.
Following the Mumbai encounter, Mohammad Nabi (30 off 21 balls, 1/24) hailed Pandey for his efforts with the bat against the MI, saying the No.3 batting slot is best suited for the right-hander and that gives a bit strength to the side especially in the absence of big-hitters -Warner and Bairstow.
Nabi told media at the post-match press conference, “I think No. 3 is a good position for him. Over the last few games, he has consistently performed. It's very good for the team as well because Bairstow and Warner have gone back home. Pandey has come and added strength.”
Chasing 162, Nabi and Pandey added 49 runs but they could not go for the big hits as Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga’s tight bowling with their yorker-length deliveries made it difficult for the visitors here.
The all-rounder explained, “We tried to hit big ones, but they bowled brilliantly. The ball was reversing with Malinga and Bumrah. And they bowled brilliant yorkers as well. I thought we'll go for the big hits but it's not possible to hit yorkers for six. That's why we took singles. The thinking was hit one or two big shots because the wicket was easy to play. Everyone knows Bumrah is the best in death overs, he bowled brilliantly in the last overs as well as the Super Over.”
In the Super Over, SRH opted for Rashid Khan, but the leg-spinner could not stop Hardik Pandya from hitting a six on his very first bowl, which led MI to a victory, though, Nabi defended the decision, saying he was the best option for the job.
The Afghanistan all-rounder noted, “Everyone knows Rashid is a brilliant bowler and he bowled brilliantly in the four overs. That's why we decided to bowl Rashid. It happens in cricket. In front of a quality player as well, it's tough. But if you assess the conditions and variations and also read the mind of the batsman, then it will be easy for the bowler.”
However, it was a heart-breaking defeat for the SRH, but he chose to remain optimistic about his team’s chances in the tournament with the final game at their hands, as they could make it to the Playoffs if they beat Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Saturday, 4th May.
Nabi signed off by saying, “It is disappointing because if we can't win on such pitches and lose after coming so close, then it is bad luck for our team. The whole tournament we have come close and lost matches. In the last match (against RCB) we will give 110% and hope that we qualify for Play-offs.”
(With PTI Inputs)
