“It was awesome”, was how Travis Head, the explosive opener of Sunrisers Hyderabad, described the emphatic, 10-wicket win over Lucknow SuperGiants in the IPL League match at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Thursday night.
Head, along with his opening partner Abhishek Sharma, has set a benchmark in this IPL in terms of redefining batters’ attitude in the PowerPlay.
“Abhi and I are very pleased with how we executed the PowerPlay. I’m very happy with the way we were able to go about it outside the PowerPlay, pick our targets, and grab it. Yeah, kept the job done,” Head informed the media after the match.
“We spoke about net run-rate (NRR) being important and keeping the foot down. So, very pleased [with] how it turned out. I don’t think you could have ever expected chasing it like that,” he said.
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“You know that the PowerPlay is important. Trying to maximise that, and we played beautifully. We were able to get ahead of the rate, which was nice,” the explosive opener from Australia said. “We played really well here. It suited us and our game plan,” he added.
“Once we got going in those first two or three overs, it was just about trying to maximise that as much as we can. But, we picked our targets and then played really well. You always want to perform, be consistent and try to be doing the job. Yes, it’s not always going to happen in T-20 cricket,” Head explained.
On his partnership with Abhishek, Head said he liked the way they had been playing. “We are going to have ups and downs. We’ve had that.”
“Partnership with Abhi’s been fantastic. He’s such an exciting talent for Indian cricket and exceptional. I think we complement each other so well and he’s very, very enjoyable to be around. He’s so excited and thinks about the game and got a lot of energy.”
“So, nice to be able to do the job tonight. Chasing and looking forward to the next two games being at home as well. So, it’s very exciting,” Head added on playing the next two games also at home.
Reflecting on how SRH won tonight, Head said it was important to win at home. “ If you can win at home and then sneak a couple of away wins, you give yourself the best chance,” he said.
On the next two games, Head informed that they would have a few days off now. “ We’ve got a pretty big break before our next couple of games, but I think that comes at a good time. Everyone goes into that break excited and energised and then we’ve got two home games,” he said.
On his first season with SRH franchisee, Head said he loved it. “Obviously, not knowing a lot before I came here and being fortunate to have a couple of familiar faces in Pat (captain Cummins) and Dan (head coach Daniel Vettori) and obviously hearing great things about the ground and the crowd and whatnot,” he said.
Questioned whether IPL form is crucial ahead of the T20 World Cup, Head said it had been nice to be amongst runs and playing well.
“That’s not going to guarantee anything in the West Indies, but it gives me the best chance of being in a really good mindset, working hard at training. I think we’ll face a fair bit of spin in the Caribbean, and the wickets might become tougher as the tournament goes,” he said about the World Cup.
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“So, I’m very pleased with how I was able to play spin tonight, and the things that I’m working on at training are somewhat working at the moment. But, I’m trying to stay relaxed, as I have done for the last couple of years, and be ready to go.”
Head didn’t agree that SRH fortunes depend a lot on the openers’ success.
“I guess that Kings game is a good blueprint for us in the way we went about that game. It’s not always going to work at the top of the order. We’re going to lose wickets, but we want to be brave through the whole middle... I think we have got real consistency through,” Head explained.
“So, I think we’re not dependent on the top order. Yes, we’re playing well, but I don’t think it defines the team. I felt like we’ve got a really strong middle order, and when we’re in those positions, we’re able to find ourselves to get to a score.”
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