Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been doing really well, both in powerplay and death overs: Mithali Raj

Bhuvneshwar Kumar. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)

Veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar continued to shine in the ongoing season of IPL for SRH as he showcased another class act in the team’s latest outing against LSG. He picked up two wickets while conceding at a stunning 3.00 whereas other bowlers of the unit went a bit expensive.

Speaking exclusively on Star Sports Cricket Live, former Indian cricketer Mithali Raj spoke about Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s performance, “There was a little bit of swing for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, but not as much. However, he used the pace that he could get from the wicket because the way the LSG batters played, it seemed like they were struggling with the short of length. And he quickly managed to alter his strategy and plans, which is what you require in a T20 game, something we didn’t see with Natarajan. He got hit in the death overs.

“But Bhuvneshwar Kumar, in that sense, shows his experience, and he’s been doing really well since that Rajasthan Royals game. We’ve seen that, whether it’s in the power play or the death overs. He’s able to alter and adapt quickly to how the wicket is behaving, how he can get the best out of it, and also bowl according to the field. And I think some credit should go to the fielders for those two brilliant catches that they’ve taken.”

Tom Moody shared his thoughts on Travis Head’s batting this season, “I believe the Australian camp would be delighted with Travis Head’s current form. With the way both he and Fraser-McGurk have been performing, I imagine half of Australia, if not more, would be excited at the prospect of having them batting together. Travis Head has been such a boost for this franchise. He missed the first game through selection, and it wasn’t until the second game that Sunrisers started to play this brand of cricket, and it was all led by Travis Head and his brash way of playing. He’s done it over the last couple of years in all formats, and he’s been terrific.”

Moody shared his thoughts on Abhishek Sharma’s batting this season, “I believe he’s just matured as a player. He’s come into this IPL with incredibly good domestic season, a successful one with Punjab, so he’s in form, feeling good about his game. He’s experienced IPL cricket for a number of years now as a young, emerging player, and now he’s embracing IPL cricket. He’s embracing the partnership he’s got with Travis Head. He’s embracing the way the management have set the tone with regards to how they want to play, which is seamlessly complementing his game. He’s a natural ball striker, so he’s not doing anything out of the ordinary. He likes to hit sixes, he’s always hit sixes, so this brand of cricket is just suiting him down to earth.”

Moody spoke on what could be SRH’s strategy when they play in Chennai and Ahmedabad for the playoffs, “They’ve got quite a big break now, about a seven-eight daybreak. So they’ll have a chance to reflect on today’s performance. But I suppose the negative to that is that you lose that momentum, that confidence that you’ve got from a game like today. So that could work against them. But I think they’ve learned from some of the venues they’ve played poorly at, where the wicket has been a bit slow to turn. And I’m sure that certainly, this group is a very confident group. They will make the adjustments and, yes, they may not score a hundred in the power play, but they will be competitive.”