IPL 2020: Natarajan's yorkers a treat to watch, says Sandeep Sharma

Sandeep Sharma praises fellow fast bowler T. Natarajan after the two of them help Sunrisers Hyderabad defeat Royal Challengers Bangalore.

T. Natarajan is congratulated by SRH captain Kane Williamson after the dismissal of Washington Sundar. - BCCI/IPL

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Sandeep Sharma praised fellow fast bowler T. Natarajan after the two of them played a key role in their team’s emphatic win over Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday.

Sandeep took two wickets and gave away 20 runs in his four-over spell, claiming the Man-of-the-Match award. Natarajan, in his two overs, gave away 11 runs and took one wicket.

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Sandeep said he has known Natarajan for four or five years as they represented the same club, Kings XI Punjab. “He is a totally different bowler now [than he was four-five years ago]. He has worked so hard on his variations, especially yorkers. The way he is executing [them] is a treat to watch. It is very important for us to have someone like him. He is an integral part of SRH’s bowling attack,” Sandeep said.

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“We have to go and just express ourselves. We have nothing to lose and with the same attitude, we are going to go in the next game against Mumbai Indians on November 3. It is just like a do-or-die game for us,” Sandeep said.

“When we lost Bhuvneshwar Kumar, it was a big setback for us. No one can take his place, he is one of the best in the business. After that, we spoke that we need to take extra responsibility. We have been working hard in the nets and we are able to execute on the field,” he said.

‘We could have played better’

For his part, RCB’s star batsman AB de Villiers gave credit to the SRH bowlers for not dishing out too many boundary balls and constantly putting pressure on RCB’s batting line-up.

“They bowled very well, didn’t make many mistakes. We could have played better. But again the turning point was when myself and Josh got out in quick succession,” he said.

“There was enough in the wicket and SRH bowlers stuck to the basics well and backed by really good fielding,” de Villiers said.

“Yes back-to-back defeats is a terrible feeling. That is the nature of the tournament. Anything can happen. Delhi is a big game for us. We have to come out with the best cricket,” he concluded.