Tom Moody believes the exit of England players from both Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals — due to World Cup preparations — will be a great opportunity for the fringe players to showcase their skills.
“The door closes, another one opens,” the Sunrisers head coach said here ahead of Saturday’s crucial Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. “The top three is a very special place for batters in T20 cricket. Everyone jumps a chance to bat as early as possible, batting down the order can be challenging.”
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He hoped whoever replaced Jonny Bairstow — who was one half of a formidable opening alliance with David Warner — would make use of his opportunity. “We have been blessed to have both Warner and Bairstow performing the way they have been performing,” Moody said.
He expected Royals also to cope with the loss of some key players. “We know they are a dangerous side and a challenging one to beat home,” said Moody.
One-man show
Looking back at his team’s game against Chennai Super Kings, he said his side was defeated by an individual. “In this format of the game every now and then there would be an individual that would take the game away from you,” he said. “Once Shane Watson got going, we had a half-chance which we missed, halfway through the innings. Ultimately it was one individual [who] beat us, as it was one individual (Watson) that beat us in the final last year.”
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