Brian Lara: ‘Shikhar Dhawan’s 99 one of the best innings I’ve seen in T20 cricket’

Hyderabad: Sunrisers Hyderabad picked themselves from the bottom of the Indian Premier League points table after a convincing eight-wicket win over Punjab Kings in their third game of the season on Sunday. Chasing a modest 144 for win, SRH got home with 8 wickets and 17 balls to spare. Rahul Tripathi (74 runs from 48 balls, 10×4, 3×6) and skipper Aiden Markram (37 runs from 21 balls, 6×4) put together an unbeaten 100-run partnership for the smooth chase.

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Earlier, PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan’s unbeaten 99 runs from 66 balls was the only positive for the visitors. With the ball, leg-spinner Mayank Markande made crucial dents to claim 4/15 in four overs. Pacer Marco Jansen was also lethal in taking 2/16 from three overs.

Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Brian Lara heaped praise on Dhawan for the knock even as wickets fell at the other end. “I must commend Shikhar Dhawan. I think it is one of the best innings I’ve ever seen in T20 Cricket, the way he shepherd the strike and totally just controlled the game,” he said while speaking on JioCinema.

Former IPL star Chris Gayle acknowledged Dhawan’s effort to keep going despite finding no support at the other end. “Shikhar was fantastic for his team, and when you keep losing wickets around you, it’s never going to be easy, and to hold the steady nerves and to actually get to that particular total and get to 99 as welI, and I thought he deserved a hundred and that’s one of the best innings you will ever see in the IPL as well.”

Former India player Aakash Chopra commended Tripathi for handling the early pressure and taking the side to victory.

“He had played a very ungainly innings to score 34 runs in the previous match in the Lucknow stadium. Anyway, sometimes you need to play these ugly innings to come into form. The hard work in Lucknow paid off today.

“He batted really well, despite the fact that there was slight pressure when two wickets fell and it seemed the total might get difficult to achieve, but Rahul Tripathi’s stature is growing with time.

“Last season also he had scored runs but this year, he has come as an Indian capped player now. He has secured a promotion and this responsibility as a capped Indian player suits him,” said Chopra.

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