IPL 2024: SRH coach Vettori wants his team to keep scoring big totals

Speaking on the eve of the IPL match against bottom-placed Royal Challengers Bengaluru here on Wednesday, Vettori said the batting group has been sensational and it was quite rewarding to play like that in all conditions.

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s bowling coach Muttiah Muralitharan, Head Coach Daniel Vettori with captain Pat Cummins during a training session. | Photo Credit: DEEPAK KR

Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Daniel Vettori said that they need to keep challenging themselves and keep scoring big totals.

Speaking on the eve of the IPL match against bottom-placed Royal Challengers Bengaluru here on Wednesday, Vettori said the batting group has been sensational and it was quite rewarding to play like that in all conditions.

“Yes, the fearless attitude is contagious, with such quality of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma at the top,“ he said.

“We have players complementing them. Those two were fantastic. We all know Klassen is one of the best in the world. But to get performances from Samad, Nitish has been the real difference maker. Every game someone is out to contribute to the team.“ 

On Pat Cummins’ captaincy, the SRH head coach felt it was the same as leading Australia.

“He is always well prepared. The performances have been of high standard. He has a strong ability to read the game. He works with bowlers and coaches. That worked well. We have some pressure situations particularly with ball, defending totals. But he made the difference,“ Vettori said.

“If you win the game by 25 or 40 runs, you take that every day. Though the scores are high, when you post big scores, you expect teams to come hard to chase. The wickets are good. The bowlers have done exceptionally well. That was highlighted by Natarajan in the last game. We can’t look at economies, as long as they are below the required rate in the game, they are good,“ he said.

On the Impact Player rule, Vettori said it was a question of just the style and aggression when a team had seven or eight batters.

“We can take the game on. It is not just us, all the other teams were ready to take on the bowlers,“ he said.

“No, I don’t think it undermines the role of all-rounders. I think if you look at our team, Nitish and Abhishek did bowl a bit. Nitish bowled well, it gives us more options,“ Vettori said.

“In fact, the impact rule made our selection very easy. I think because you cover so many bases. When it comes to the selection table, it makes our a lot easier,“ he said.

On the wicket for tomorrow’s game, Vettori said it looked similar to the one used in the Mumbai Indians match. “ We can expect another high-scoring game,“ he added.