Rajasthan Royals bowlers bore the brunt of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow as the duo dispatched them to all corners of the park, stitching together a crucial 110-run partnership to tilt the game in favour of Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday.
David Warner who scored a 37-ball 69, later spoke about how it was like partnering with the English glovesman. He said,"Me and Jonny have partnered really well since Kolkata. There have been a few hiccups with him trying to get off the mark, I have been hogging the strike a little bit, but over the years I have been held back a little bit. We know this ground pretty well. We know the dimensions well."
An elated Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson who overcame his injuries to return and lead the side on Friday believed it was a tough game. "Rajasthan Royals played really well to get to that total after the start we had with the ball. It was a brilliant chase. The openers set it up for us. A good collective effort, we needed parts to work well for us tonight. Really good experience for us as a batting unit to chase it down. It's nice to be on the right side of the result tonight."
Williamson also heaped praises on Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan, who bagged the 'Man of the Match' award for his all-round performance. The New Zealand captain said, "He's such a wicket-taker for us. Rashid was supposed to bat seven or eight depending on the situation. His batting has improved so much in the last year or so."
Rashid himself was all about how hard work pays off in situations like these.
"I think I just try my best to be positive in each game and I am working hard and believing in my own skills, so that's what is working for me. The plan was to bowl in the good length area to Buttler, I have got him out a few times, so that's why I came in early. I was mixing my variations. Didn't want to give room to batsmen because the ball wasn't turning much."
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"I have five different leg-spin variations with different actions. I just back myself with my variations and pitch it in the good length area. I am working on my batting. I need to bat well when my team needs me. My coaches - Moody, Murali and Laxman - have always backed me and given me a lot of confidence saying you can hit anywhere, just a case of backing yourself. That's what I did," added the Sunrisers spinner who finished with figures of 1/24 and scored an eight-ball 15 in a cameo.
Rajasthan Royals skipper Ajinkya Rahane applauded the swashbuckling innings from Warner during the post-match presentation ceremony. He said, "First of all, 190 plus on that wicket was really good. Initially when Sanju and me were batting the wicket looked slow - it was stopping and coming - and we thought 150 was a good total. But when players like Warner bat like that there is a very small margin for us. They didn't lose any momentum when someone got out and they played really well.
When asked about Sanju Samson, Rahane said, "We all know how talented Sanju is. He will go miles and consistency is going to be the key for him."
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