Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) registered an emphatic six-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Match 18 of the IPL 2024 season at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Friday (April 5).
Opting to bowl first, SRH restricted CSK to 165/5 in 20 overs and then chased down the target with 11 deliveries to spare.
After the game, former Australia all-rounder Tom Moody hailed SRH skipper Pat Cummins for his empowering and inclusive leadership style, drawing parallels with India's legendary captain MS Dhoni.
"Pat would do that seamlessly because that is the 'bloke' he is. He is a good person. He would do that naturally because of his natural leadership," said Moody in an exclusive chat with ESPNCricinfo.
Pat Cummins was signed by SRH for a hefty sum of INR 20.50 Crore during the auction last December, making him one of the costliest purchases in IPL history.
Cummins’ success at the helm for Australia in Tests and ODIs, winning the World Test Championship (WTC) and World Cup last year, also worked in his favour as he replaced Aiden Markram as SRH captain ahead of IPL 2024.
Under his leadership, the Sunrisers have won two out of their four matches so far. They are occupying fifth place on the points table, featuring 10 teams.
Moody compared Cummins' tactical acumen to Dhoni, citing an example of handing the opening over to left-arm spinner Abhishek Sharma in SRH's clash against CSK.
"Tactically, as a captain or not, he has played enough to understand and navigate how to captain in a T20 game. One thing I like about Cummins is that he is like MS Dhoni, he is prepared to make decisions that other people do not think about," he stated.
Commenting on Cummins' decision of giving the crucial opening over to Abhishek, Moody noted, "It was quite an odd decision considering you had arguably the best new-ball bowler in IPL history and Aiden Markram. There were plenty of ways that he could have started the inning, but he committed to his decision."
The move worked for SRH as Abhishek Sharma conceded only seven runs in the opening over, setting the tone for a disciplined bowling performance. The likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/28), Cummins (1/29) and Jaydev Unadkat (1/29) returned with impressive bowling figures for the Sunrisers.
Chasing 166 to win, the hosts got off to a flying start as Abhishek Sharma took the CSK attack to the cleaners with his blazing cameo of 12-ball 37. The southpaw’s knock was studded with 3 fours and 4 sixes.
Abhishek added 46 runs for the opening wicket with Travis Head (31 off 24) in just 2.4 overs before getting out. After his dismissal, Aiden Markram returned with a measured half-century (50 off 36) to ensure SRH’s victory with 11 deliveries to spare.
(With ANI Inputs)
